Ninja Walkabout
by Lady Jaye1
Summary: Companion piece to 'Silence.' Finally free from Cobra's brainwashing, Storm Shadow is now trying to make peace with his past.  As he journeys through Canada with Wolverine, will he find the healing he needs?  Or will they find nothing but trouble?
1. First Lessons

_Disclaimer: I don't own GI Joe or Marvel._

**This story follows Storm Shadow and Wolverine's journey in Canada, which began in my other story 'Silence.' These two will temporarily disappear from that story until the conclusion of this one. **

_Ninja Walkabout_

_Chapter 1: First lessons_

_Pain. Unimaginable pain. It was as if thousands of katana were cutting into his brain, severing slice upon slice of gray matter. Some pieces were reconstructed or rearranged, others were seemingly discarded. His body writhed in agony and somewhere in the corner of his mind still capable of free thought, he pleaded for death. _

_Then, after what felt like a thousand years, it stopped. The blades were sheathed. The wounds and the ache in his body, however, still remained._

"_How is my pet ninja?" a voice asked. Too much pain, too tired…he couldn't even force his eyes open to look at the man. The voice seemed familiar, however. He'd be able to put a name to it in a few minutes._

"_Excellent, my dear Cobra Commander. The upgrades to Dr. Venom's brainscanner are working perfectly."_

"_Good," the first voice answered. "Have my son brought here. He is in need of further reprogramming as well."_

_Billy. Somehow he was able to put a name to that person. He struggled to open his eyes, but they refused to open. It was as if they no longer obeyed the will of their owner. Finally, after much exertion, they opened to reveal two men. He peered blurrily at a bald man and a man in a blue mask._

"_How are you feeling Storm Shadow?" one of them asked. Terrible, he felt terrible. His mind felt like…it felt like…so hard to think…_

"_Well enough to serve you, my master," the ninja said. Both men seemed pleased by that answer._

"_Splendid…I have a mission for you tomorrow," the man in the blue mask responded. "Rest up. Tomorrow I want you to assassinate the US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia."_

_The next day, the ninja walked silently away from a new corpse. The only evidence of his deed was a single drop of fresh blood, staining one of his gloves…_

Storm Shadow's eyes flew open and he sat up. His hair was slick with sweat and his heart was beating at an accelerated rate. He took several breaths to calm himself and slipped into a temporary meditative state. After a couple of minutes, he opened his eyes again.

"Another one?" his companion asked. The ninja looked up to see a short, grizzled man sitting on an overhead tree branch. The X-Man known as Wolverine studied him with a pair of expressionless eyes. No…not completely expressionless, the ninja amended. There was a hint of sympathy hidden deep in those blue eyes. They were old, ancient looking eyes. Eyes that had known much pain.

Logan understood what he was going through.

"Yes," Thomas Arashikage answered. The ninja stood up and stretched his legs. This hadn't been his first nightmare since he and Logan had begun their journey. He also knew it wouldn't be his last. If the former soldier had any consolation, it was the fact that Wolverine experienced similar dreams.

"I don't think I can go back to sleep," Tommy told him. "You want to take your turn?" The two men slept in shifts during the night.

"Nah…too busy enjoying the breeze," the Canadian answered. Storm Shadow climbed up the tree to join his…new friend? Mentor? Thomas Arashikage wasn't really sure what to call the man, considering that he had only known him for a few weeks. The man known as Wolverine was somewhat of an enigma. The Cobra hierarchy had passed him off as a mere animal.

That was a lie and a disservice to the man. Logan was grumpy and ornery as hell, but he was also one of the kindest and most honorable men that Thomas Arashikage had ever met. Scarred though Wolverine was from his past, much of which he didn't even remember, he was also extremely knowledgeable and intelligent.

Thomas had lost every chess game they had played so far. He was determined to change that.

"Another game?" he asked. His companion snorted.

"You feel like losing again?"

"Only the loser truly learns how to win," Storm Shadow quoted. "But if you have the option of winning, losing is pretty damn stupid."

"Who said that?" Logan asked. "Is that another Soft Master quote?"

"Actually, the Hard Master said it, though I may have slightly paraphrased it," the ninja replied. Wolverine chuckled under his breath. Neither man spoke for a while. Tommy listened as a couple of wolves howled in the distance. The night breeze chilled him, though it was still the beginning of August. He and Logan had been making their way to the northern part of Canada, though they were in no particular hurry to get anywhere. As the mutant had explained, the journey was more important than the physical destination.

"Pawn to B-3," Logan finally said.

"Knight to C-6," Tommy replied.

The two men played for a while. Tommy had long considered himself an excellent chess player. He'd always been able to outplay Snake Eyes, as well as most of his clan. Chess had also been an important teaching tool that he'd used with Billy. He and his young protégé had often played a mental game of chess, just as he and Wolverine were doing now.

The only different was that Tommy had so far consistently lost every game.

"Let's call it a night," Logan finally said, stopping the game. "We can pick it back up tomorrow."

Tommy took the next watch as the mutant climbed into his sleeping bag. He was instantly asleep, though as the ninja had learned, the man was a light sleeper. Storm Shadow looked up at the night sky and watched the moon for a while. It was peeking out over a trio of mountains.

"Where are you Billy?" he asked quietly. The ninja had no recollection of what had happened to his protégé, other than that his young friend had somehow managed to escape. Cobra Commander had been in a fury for days.

An owl hooted again. Somewhere in the distance, a pack of coyotes howled and barked. The leaves rustled softly. The night was speaking to him.

Thomas Arashikage listened.

* * *

"Just how much can you talk?" Wolverine growled. The ninja grinned at him. As Logan was finding out, Tommy was a very sociable person and seemed to love talking. In fact, the man was quite capable of being a cheeky bastard and filling in for the other person's dialogue if they weren't willing to be in a conversation.

"That's okay Tommy, keep talking," the other man said, "I always enjoy having a nice conversation that…"

"You want breakfast?" Logan growled.

"Yes," the ninja replied. "Shall I commence with silence?" Logan glared, which only made the man grin even more. The mutant shook his head and turned his attention back to the small campfire. It was no wonder that Thomas Arashikage got along so well with Nightcrawler. Truthfully, Logan wasn't as agitated as he let on. He took the other man's talkativeness and good humor as a sign that he was starting to recover from his brainwashing. However, as Wolverine knew from personal experience, it would probably take years for the man to fully heal…if he ever did.

They had been on the road for over two weeks now. The two men had first wandered through one of British Columbia's many provincial parks. At the moment, they were camped out in a large wooded and mountainous area. Eventually, as they moved further north, the trees would thin out and disappear.

"I swear," Logan grumped. "God help me if you ever meet Pete Parker."

"Who's that?" the ninja asked. "Another merry mutant?"

"An ally," Logan answered. "And no, he's not a mutant." He considered telling the man that Parker was really Spiderman, but decided against it. It wasn't that he didn't trust Tommy…quite the opposite, but it was Parker's secret. He had no right to reveal it without the other man's permission.

"You'll probably meet him eventually," the mutant said instead. Tommy studied him a moment before shrugging. The ninja was keenly perceptive and had probably guessed that Logan was keeping something back. He had his Arashikage training to thank for that. Fortunately, the man was respectful enough not to prod for more information.

After they'd eaten, they walked for about two hours. Logan and Tommy then spent the next few hours sparring. The ninja was good…very, very good in fact. Now that his mind had been cleared of Cobra's brainwashing, his combat and mental skills had immediately sharpened.

Logan was still better though. To be fair, he had age and experience on his side. His companion was also fighting with a troubled heart, which displayed itself when he fought.

"Straighten your arm," Logan told him. "And put more energy into your torso when you twist it." The ninja repeated the strike, doing it correctly. Wolverine marveled at how quickly the younger man caught on. Tommy only needed to hear or see something once to repeat it. It was no wonder that he had once been called the Young Master.

It was a learning experience for both of them. Logan had previously encountered a few members of the Arashikage clan, so he'd had some knowledge of their fighting style. However, sparring with Tommy was teaching him a greater range of techniques.

Logan blocked a hand strike, turned his body to the left, and anticipated that the other man would use the Arashikage Tiger Claw attack. He was correct, but the ninja followed through with a finger thrust to his Golgi tendon. The muscles in Logan's arm relaxed and the ninja twisted the arm painfully, though not too hard to do damage.

Wolverine hooked an ankle around the other man's leg and knocked him slightly off balance. It wasn't much, but it was enough that the mutant twisted out of the ninja's grip and stepped away.

"Remember, I have healing factor," Logan pointed out. "Don't be afraid to fight rough."

"Skill requires restraint, restraint requires a keen mind and a patient heart," the ninja replied. "Fighting with no restraint is the same as not knowing how to fight at all."

Logan smiled. The Arashikage had taught him well. The ninja also had the makings of an excellent teacher. From what the mutant understood, Storm Shadow had previously taken Cobra Commander's estranged son under his tutelage. His previous experience as an instructor was obvious.

"Bishop to E-4," Wolverine said, striking the man between his third and fourth ribs. Storm Shadow winced slightly as he slid under an arm thrust.

"Rook to G-4," Storm Shadow answered.

* * *

Tommy sat quietly. A small, mountain stream made soothing, rippling noises. As the ninja watched, a female grizzly bear and her young cub waded into the water. The two bears slowly drank their fill. Ever the city boy, he couldn't help but marvel at the sheer beauty of nature.

The young cub splashed around in the water and played to its heart's content. Its mother shook herself off and sat down on the bank. She kept a careful eye out for any possible dangers. The cub, however, refused to leave its mother out of the game. It ran out of the water, soaked and extremely muddy. It jumped onto its mother and began to bite her playfully. She swatted gently at the cub, who happily turned around and splashed back into the water. Storm Shadow found himself smiling at the scene.

To be young again. What a wonderful feeling that would be. Tommy was reminded of an earlier conversation that he'd had with Kurt Wagner.

_"I've just forgotten what it's like to be that young," the ninja had said. "Everything's an adventure."_

_"Everything still is an adventure," Nightcrawler had replied, ever the swashbuckler. "If you don't think so, then you've gotten old."_

Thomas Arashikage contemplated that for a long time. Cobra had stolen a great deal from him. As both Hank McCoy and Kurt Wagner had repeatedly reminded him, however, he had his life back now. He could choose to seek the path of revenge…which had landed him in Cobra in the first place…or seek the path of peace.

Storm Shadow could let Cobra keeping winning, or he could do something with the freedom that he'd been given.

The two bears finally left. Storm Shadow continued to sit in silence, enjoying the simple pleasures of life. He and Logan had separated a couple of hours ago. Both men needed their private space, so both were apt to find a quiet place and sit for a while. When that happened, neither Logan nor Tommy interrupted the other.

However, he knew that Wolverine was nearby. He was far enough away to give the ninja privacy, but close enough in case he was needed for anything. Thanks to training from the Blind Master, Storm Shadow's hearing was probably almost as acute as Wolverine's, as he could occasionally hear the man breathing.

Tommy finally decided to wander down to the stream. He walked around where the two bears had been before plopping himself down on the ground. On a whim, the ninja decided to remove his boots and stepped barefoot into the stream. Mud squished underneath his feet as he waded out into the cold water.

How was he supposed to be young at heart? His time with Cobra had left him feeling like an old man.

Storm Shadow stared down at the muddy creek. He visualized the young bear cub splashing around in the water. Who better to teach him than a child?

With a sudden grin, the ninja kicked up one of his feet and sent a spray of water into the air. He jumped up into an aerial somersault and landed back into the water. Mud and water splashed up his legs. Normally Thomas Arashikage was a bit of a neat freak and hated being dirty, but for the moment, he conveniently forgot that.

Besides, he'd never known that playing around in the mud could actually be _fun_.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Tommy looked over to see an amused Wolverine watching him. The man didn't seem to know whether or not he should laugh or walk away. Storm Shadow considered what kind of answer he should give, as he himself wasn't exactly sure what he was doing.

"Having fun?" he finally answered. Logan raised an eyebrow.

"Fun," the mutant said dryly. Storm Shadow picked up a glob of mud and threw it back into the stream.

"Fun," the ninja repeated. Logan's lips twitched as he stepped down to the stream. The mutant looked down at the water and back up at the ninja.

"Well then…don't let me stop you," Wolverine drawled. A smirk crossed his face and with lightning quick speed, he pushed the ninja down into the water. Tommy rolled back to his feet, but the mutant was instantly on him. The ninja kicked the man and slipped away from him, but not before Logan managed to rub a handful of mud into his hair.

"Dammit!" the ninja swore. Storm Shadow reached out and grabbed the other man's ankle. Logan lost his balance and fell down into the water as well. Before the mutant could react, Tommy sent a large splash of water in his direction.

Another glob of mud hit the ninja in the chest.

Tommy jumped out of the stream and landed in the grass. He was now soaked head to foot in water and mud.

"What's the matter?" Logan smirked. "I thought you wanted to have fun?" Storm Shadow gaped a moment at him, pulling unwanted mud from his hair as he did so. Once he got over his surprise, the ninja couldn't help grinning.

"A ninja never gives up," he retorted. Storm Shadow sprang at the man and knocked him back down into the water. Unfortunately, the impromptu fight turned into close quarters wrestling. In such a situation, Wolverine had the clear advantage of strength.

However, that didn't stop Storm Shadow from hitting the man's face with a glob of mud.

* * *

Later that night, a now clean Thomas Arashikage pondered the day's lessons. He opened a small notebook, which had been a gift from Jubilee. The ninja took out a pen and stared at the page a few minutes before he began to write.

"_The first step to regaining peace is to rediscover the simplicity of life. Anything and anyone may be a source of important lessons. Blinding ourselves of even the smallest things is to invite disaster, as well as miss what the world is trying to tell us."_

Thomas Arashikage thought a moment before adding:

"_Also, when being attacked by a muddy wolverine, don't respond with Errol Flynn quotes. It doesn't help."_

* * *

_Author's notes:_

_Well, that's the end of the first chapter. Our boys are having a relatively peaceful journey so far. Any bets on how long it'll last?_


	2. Remembering a Master

_Ninja Walkabout_

_Chapter 2: Remembering a Master_

Hidden in a secret location in Japan, an elderly woman was carefully clipping an ancient bonsai tree. She paused when she heard, rather than saw, a young man approach. The young ninja protégé bowed respectfully before handing the woman a carefully folded piece of paper. The woman took the paper and set down her clippers.

It was a letter from the Silent Master, written carefully in the secret code that only the Arashikage knew and used.

"_Honorable teacher,_

_It is with great joy that I inform you of your nephew's escape from Cobra, as well as the fact that he was not the traitor he was believed to be…"_

The woman known as the Obake Obaasan, the Goblin Granny, and widow of the late Hard Master continued to silently read the letter. She had married into the Arashikage clan decades ago, but was a formidable ninja master in her own right. Since the deaths of her husband and brother-in-law, she was now the defacto leader of the Arashikage clan.

"_With the aid of the X-Men, Thomas's brainwashing has been removed. His soul and mind, however, are still fragile and in need of healing. It is for this reason that the leader of the Yashida clan has taken him on a training walkabout. I am sure that you are probably aware of the man known both as Wolverine and Logan."_

The Goblin granny felt one of her eyebrows raise. A tiny smile twitched at the corner of her lips before disappearing. The ways of the world were a strange and mysterious thing. Once, long ago, she and her then fiancée had encountered a gruff Caucasian just outside of Kyoto. The Hard Master had been a brash, young man then. He had lost his temper at the older man and had picked a fight. To be fair, however, the foreigner had also been partially responsible for instigating it.

"_Something the matter boy?" the foreigner had smirked. The young man who would become the Hard Master had glared at him._

"_You will pay for your insolence," he warned._

Logan had been dunked in a koi pond, but it was the ninja who had ended up having his pride bruised. The young Hard Master had walked away with a swollen eye and a cracked rib. To both his and his fiancée's astonishment, the foreigner's wounds had all instantly healed. The young couple had wondered if he was either a kami or a mortal that had somehow obtained extreme mastery over his body. The term for 'mutant' hadn't yet been coined in Japan and even in the West, people with mutations were only starting to come to the public's attention.

Somehow though, the two men had ended up drinking sake together until an ungodly hour of the morning. The Hard Master hadn't held his liquor as well as the Canadian. His fiancée had been simultaneously annoyed and amused when he'd stumbled into the Arashikage compound at four in the morning.

"_How much did you drink?" she snapped. The young woman glared at the ninja wobbling in the doorway. Her fiancée leaned against the doorframe and groaned._

"_Damn gaijin," the young Arashikage muttered. "Alcohol doesn't affect him at all."_

The hangover that morning had been atrocious. The Soft Master and Tommy's father had found it hysterical and taken it as an opportunity to annoy their irritable and very ill brother.

She had only had one other personal encounter with the Canadian mutant since then, but her husband had run into him two more times and had kept in contact through the occasional letter. Somewhere along the way however, the letters had stopped. After a long period of time, her husband had received his last letter shortly before his death and had puzzled over it.

"_He is a man that no longer knows himself," the aging master had noted. "If he ever did." _She had never read the letter, but according to her husband, it seemed as if the Canadian had lost much of his memories regarding his previous encounters with the Arashikage.

The Hard Master had never had a chance to send a reply back. An arrow caught him before he could. The ensuing turmoil in the Arashikage clan had ensured that the letter was forgotten.

Even so, the Arashikage clan had been pleased when Wolverine had taken control of the Yashida clan. While the two clans hadn't been enemies, they also hadn't been friendly towards one another. Under Logan's leadership, the suspicion between the two clans had lessened a great deal.

"_If I might ask a favor, honorable teacher," _Snake Eyes' letter continued,_ "It is my intention to find the whereabouts of your nephew's former student. Billy had also undergone similar brainwashing at the hands of Cobra. Both General Hawk and I agree that it is imperative that we find him. Professor Charles Xavier also believes that he may be in possible danger from Cobra and has agreed to help us. Because of the mind control he underwent, Tommy has no recollection of what happened to his student."_

The leader of the Arashikage clan read the rest of the letter before silently folding it back up. She contemplated the contents for a while. It was with great pain that she recalled the past. Her husband's murder had been difficult enough. Even more unbearable was the thought that her nephew, an innocent young man, had been wrongfully blamed for it. The death of the Hard Master had driven him into Cobra and sucked him down a black hole.

Even now, he was still struggling to escape from it.

"It appears that I owe you and Charles Xavier a great debt, Logan-san," she said quietly. "My husband would be pleased. The Arashikage clan will happily bear the On you've placed on us until such a day that it can be repaid."

The Arashikage ninja master returned to clipping her bonsai tree. Once finished, she began to mentally compose her reply to Snake Eyes. The Arashikage clan would make sure that Cobra Commander's son was found. Billy had been a student of Storm Shadow, which meant that he was also a member of the Arashikage.

And the Arashikage protected their members.

* * *

"You got my uncle _drunk_?" Storm Shadow asked. The man across the table from him grunted a moment before smirking.

"I don't remember much from that night or the other times I met your uncle," Wolverine admitted. "I've got too many holes in my memories. But I do remember that part."

Thomas Arashikage thought about that. Neither the Hard Master nor the Soft Master had ever mentioned the mutant. Then again, Storm Shadow had holes in his own memory as well. He didn't even completely trust the things he did remember.

"Here's your dinner boys," a busty waitress said. The two men waited until she placed their orders on the table before leaving. They had stopped in a small mining town for supplies and decided to grab a bite to eat.

Tommy wrinkled his nose slightly at Logan's meal. The man had ordered a very rare steak.

"Something wrong?" the mutant smirked.

"Is that thing even cooked?" the ninja asked. Wolverine's lips twitched in amusement as he carefully cut the steak and took a bite. The Canadian took great pleasure in making sure that some of the meat's juice dribbled off of the fork.

"Bastard," Tommy told him. He pointedly ignored the man's red slab of meat to concentrate on his grilled salmon.

"Says the man that eats raw fish," Logan pointed out, still smirking. Tommy rolled his eyes. Raw fish was hardly in the same category as almost raw red meat.

"So what about the other times you ran into my uncle?" the ninja asked after a while. "What do you remember about them?" Logan paused in thought. Storm Shadow watched as the mutant took a sip of beer while searching his memory.

"The second time was probably about forty years ago," Wolverine finally said. "I was after a man who had killed a friend of mine. I thought it was an Arashikage ninja, but it ended up being a member of the Sayama clan." Storm Shadow scowled at that. The Sayama and the Arashikage had a history of bad blood. It figured that one of them would try to frame a murder on the Arashikage.

"I do remember my father mentioning that the Hard Master had a bad run in with the Sayama when he was younger," Tommy said. "I wonder if that was it." Logan shrugged.

"Maybe," the mutant answered. "Like I said, I've forgotten a lot. I do remember that he helped me out."

"Anything else?" Tommy asked eagerly. He was fascinated by the fact that the Hard Master and Wolverine had known each other, even if not very well. Wolverine smirked at him.

"I asked him if 'Hard Master' was a double entendre for something else," the mutant answered. "He tried to stick me with a knife after I said that." Storm Shadow gaped at him, somewhat scandalized to consider his uncle that way. He would never have thought to assign a sexual meaning to the ninja master's name.

Now that he did think about it though, it was actually pretty funny.

"Then what happened?" the ninja asked.

"I told him that I would ask his wife about it," Logan grinned. "She would probably know."

"Then…?"

"Your uncle somehow managed to stick a shuriken in my ass," the mutant grumped, still somewhat sore at the memory. Storm Shadow snorted into his glass of water and began to laugh. Logan chuckled as well. After a couple of minutes, Tommy was sobered by the thought that he would never get the opportunity to see the Hard Master and Wolverine interact.

"He was a good man," Logan told him. "I wish I could remember him better, but my head's been screwed with too much. Hell…for all I know we could have been friends, or have become friends if we'd had the time."

"You probably could have," Tommy agreed. He imagined that Logan was the type of man that his uncles and father would easily have respected and perhaps even have liked.

"Maybe…" Storm Shadow hesitated a moment. "Maybe we can go visit his grave sometime. I haven't actually been back to the Arashikage compound since he died."

Logan looked at him a long moment before nodding his head. The mutant raised his glass of beer.

"To the Hard Master," he said. Tommy picked up his glass of beer and held it up as well.

"And the Soft Master…and others that have gone before us," the ninja added. The two men clinked glasses and drained their drinks.

"So what else do you remember about him?" the ninja asked. Wolverine smirked as he motioned for the waitress to come over. The mutant ordered another beer.

"You want another one?" Logan asked. Tommy shook his head.

"You drank the Hard Master under the table…hell no," he replied. The Canadian grinned and ordered another beer for the ninja anyway.

"Because of your uncle, we ended up in the middle of Hong Kong," Wolverine finally said. "I don't remember much of the details, but that Sayama ninja I told you about had fled there when he realized we were trailing him. We somehow ended up tangling with two of the Chinese triads. I think they were having some kind of turf war and the Sayama was playing them off against each other, but I'm not sure."

"Did you get him?" Tommy asked. Logan grinned.

"Of course we did."

* * *

Logan had a feeling that they wouldn't get out of the town without drawing attention to themselves. Between he and Storm Shadow, it was almost a given. The two men were picking up the rest of their supplies when a frantic teenaged girl ran into the store.

Apparently several teenage boys had been fooling around by one of the mine shafts. According to the girl, the boys had taken turns sliding down one of the mine cables while a couple of his buddies jumped on his back for the ride. It was during one of these 'rides' that the cable had snapped and sent a trio of boys plummeting.

It was stupidity at its highest level, but what could you expect from teenagers with nothing to do? In Logan's experience, kids at that age tended to think they were bullet proof.

"I don't understand," Tommy told him. "What would possess them to do something dangerous like that?"

"This is a small mining town that's at least three hours from the nearest city," Logan pointed out. "There's nothing for kids to do here, so they find ways to amuse themselves. You were lucky growing up. Your training gave you an outlet for your energy as a kid and it kept you out of trouble."

"But riding down a mine shaft?" Tommy asked. "They're not ninja. It was a disaster waiting to happen." Logan shrugged. The incident didn't shock him as much as it did the younger man.

"I wonder if they're even still alive," the ninja wondered. Logan looked at him, realizing that the other man wanted to help. The mutant debated it. The last thing they wanted to do was to draw attention to themselves and the townspeople were likely able to handle it anyway. Mining was their livelihood after all.

At the same time, neither Storm Shadow nor Wolverine wanted to turn their backs on people that might need help.

"Let's go by there," the mutant finally suggested. "They probably have everything under control. We'll help if we need to, otherwise we don't want to be noticed."

The ninja agreed to it and the two men followed the small crowd racing out towards the site of the accident. Several men were beaming search lights down one of the mine shafts and shouting down the hole. No one answered back.

Wolverine tried to ignore the bellowing miners as he and his companion edged nearer to the shaft. He listened carefully, trying to listen for any sounds of life. After a moment, he snarled at the miners and told them to shut up.

"You ain't doin' a damned bit of good," he growled at them. "That's a deep shaft and if they're even alive, you wouldn't be able to hear them answer." The men shut up and looked dejectedly at each other.

"I hear a heartbeat," Tommy told him in Japanese. "At least one of them is still alive." Logan listened carefully and confirmed what the ninja had found. The single heartbeat was very faint. His sensitive nose also smelled the distinctive scent of blood. If they didn't get the boy out soon, he would die as well.

"We need to send someone down there," Logan started to say, looking at the miners. In an instant, a certain ninja was down the hole. Wolverine swore as the miners gaped and lunged after the Arashikage.

"Is he insane?" one of the men asked. "He has no safety rope or anything! He doesn't even have a light! How the hell is he going to…"

"He'll be fine," Logan grunted. He could hear the ninja easily shimmying down the mine shaft. Someone trained in the 'Ear that Sees' didn't need any light to find his way. The mutant hid a sigh and waited. He understood Tommy wanting to help and his help was certainly the fastest. However, they were going to have unwanted attention after this.

Unbidden, a long forgotten memory surfaced in his mind.

"_Come on gaijin, we have to help," a young man said. Logan glared at the Arashikage ninja._

"_The name's Logan, Arashikage," he growled. The Hard Master's normally impassive face slipped into a slight smirk. The man obviously knew Logan's name, but continued to call him a 'foreigner' because he knew it annoyed the Canadian. _

"_And you're a gaijin here too," Logan pointed out. _

_The ninja ignored him as he leapt into the burning house. The mutant followed close behind. Within seconds, the two men located an elderly grandmother and two young children. A short time later, they gently put the three on the ground a safe distance from the burning house. The small Chinese crowd gaped at the fact that a Japanese man and a Westerner had risked their lives. They gaped even more when a second later, the two men were gone._

Logan blinked as the memory ended, unable to remember what happened next. After short time, he finally heard the sounds of two bodies making their way up to the surface. From what Logan could tell, Storm Shadow had draped the boy over his back and was scaling back up the mine shaft. Shocked voices greeted the ninja when his head popped out of the hole. An instant later, Tommy was gently laying an unconscious teenager on the ground.

"He's the only one alive," the ninja apologized, bowing to the astonished crowd. "I'm sorry." The ninja stiffened when an older woman, probably the mother, pulled him into a tight hug and began to weep into his chest. Tommy gave Logan a helpless look, not knowing what to do. Wolverine walked over and gently disengaged the woman from the ninja.

"How the hell?" one of the men swore, his face pale with shock. "No rope, no light, he just jumped down the hole…"

"Let's go," Logan murmured in Japanese. "They can handle the rest themselves."

The two men slipped out of the crowd and made their way unseen back to the supply store. They quickly finished shopping and left the town. The rest of the night, the astonished town searched for the man that had saved one of the teenagers.

He and his companion had vanished.

* * *

Somewhere in Scotland, a young man sat silently in a local pub. Shoulder length hair and an unshaven face gave him a roguish look, though not so much as the patch over his missing eye. He was a quiet man, who was known to be polite as well as reserved. His past was a mystery, but those that he let get somewhat close to him guessed that it was a painful one.

He was American, though his mid-Western accent had now become tinged with a light Scottish brogue.

"Another beer William?" the bartender asked.

The man known as 'William Kessler' looked over at a portly Scottish woman. Long reddish locks framed a motherly, mid-fifties face.

"No thanks Caoimhe, I'll just take water," he told her. The bar owner took his empty bottle and bustled off to fetch him a glass. She returned a moment later and placed it on the bar. The woman eyed the textbook he'd been studying intently.

"Got to say Laddie, I'm mighty proud of you," she said. "It's not easy being one of us working class and to be earning a college degree."

"Thank you Caoimhe," William said. The bartender left him and the man returned to studying the textbook. Once known as 'Billy,' the now adult son of Cobra Commander had taken up residence in a small Scottish town just outside Edinburgh. His escape had been difficult and nothing short of miraculous. He owed his continued freedom to Destro, who had supplied him with false identifications and papers, as well as the equivalent of fifty thousand American dollars. The weapons manufacturer had refused to become further involved and had told the then teenager that from now on, he was on his own. Even so, William felt indebted to the man.

"_In current news,"_ a BBC reporter said on the television, _"the European Union has convened an emergency session to discuss the ongoing mutant crisis. A faction of mutant terrorists under the control of Magneto recently clashed with Cobra, another terrorist organization that has recently opened its doors to mutants…"_

William looked up at the television monitor. The BBC replayed a five minute clip from one of Cobra Commander's more recent speeches. Feeling slightly ill, the former ninja protégé looked back down at his textbook. It had taken him years to shake off the effects of Dr. Mindbender's brain scanner and even now, he was still traumatized from it. The knowledge that his former mentor and father figure was still in Cobra's control also haunted him.

He was determined to find a way to free Thomas Arashikage. To do that, the young man had turned towards the field of psychology to help him.

William flipped a page of 'Anatomy of Psychotherapy' and continued reading. Caoimhe brought him a plate of scones, as well as a cup of tea, which the young man accepted gratefully. Even though the bartender knew nothing about his former life, she had taken it upon herself to mother him.

"_In other news, the Fantastic Four recently broke up a riot that had erupted between anti-mutant and pro-mutant supporters in…"_

Ignoring the television, the young man finally closed the book and sighed. William Kessler finished his tea and left the pub. He walked silently towards his apartment. By habit, he slipped into the shadows to avoid being followed. Despite his precautions, William constantly feared that he would turn around one day and discover a Cobra agent on his doorstep. An even greater fear was that it might be Storm Shadow.

Once home, he ran through a set of kata before meditating. As had become routine, he then climbed out of a window and up onto the roof. William watched the stars for a long time, finding it therapeutic.

"I'm coming for you Sensei," he said quietly. William just wasn't sure when or how.

* * *

_**Story notes:**_

'_On' (pronounced 'own') is a bit difficult to explain and even now I don't completely understand it. It's a sort of debt of honor that one owes to one's parents, teachers, and anyone who did one a favor. It's a responsibility that the receiver bears, knowing that he/she was helped and that someday the 'on' must be repaid. It is not considered honorable to owe an 'on' to someone unworthy or below your station. I'm not sure how prevalent this concept is today in modern Japan, but even until at least the 1950s-1970s(?) it was still present in some form. I think it still exists, but I'm not sure how much the younger generation cares to follow it. For a traditional and old clan like the Arashikage clan though, 'on' would still be a serious matter._

_Gaijin is the Japanese word for 'foreigner.'_

_Kami is the term used for the various gods/spirits in Shinto._

_As for the incident with the boys in the mine shaft, it was inspired by a real event. My grandfather grew up in a mining town and used to do the same thing with his brothers and friends for amusement as the boys in the story. The only difference is that they never had an accident, although they easily could have._


	3. The Canyon

_Ninja Walkabout_

_Chapter 3: The Canyon_

Screams resounded throughout the small mining village. The screams of the frightened, the screams of the grieving…the screams of the dying….

The man who was the source of it all ignored them. He crisscrossed the small Canadian town as his nose carefully sniffed the air. Human blood tainted the air, but the hunter was still able to detect two distinctive scents. One was so familiar that it had been burned into his memory decades ago. The other was one he'd more recently learned, but had now become familiar as well. Both scents were relatively recent…probably no more than four or five days old.

Cobra intelligence had indicated that Wolverine and Storm Shadow had left the X-Men's mansion for an undisclosed location. The man had surmised that his old 'friend' would either go to Japan or to Canada. The latter had proven to be correct. Nanomachines planted inside the X-Man known as Archangel had turned the winged mutant into an unwitting spy. Through him, Cobra had learned that Wolverine had taken the ninja to Canada, even if they didn't know where.

Sabretooth had let his nose and claws do the rest of the tracking. Logan was a hard man to follow anywhere, let alone in his home country…especially one as large as Canada. Victor Creed had several false starts before finally finding the real trail. One of the other mutants in Cobra also had limited clairvoyant abilities, which had helped to narrow the range.

The mutant smiled as he followed the scent to a mine shaft. The one that belonged to Cobra Commander's precious ninja went down the hole. He could also smell the faint lingering of blood and death down it. However, the ninja's scent continued on away from the shaft with Wolverine's, meaning that he hadn't met with any disaster while inside of it.

Their trail headed north out of the village.

"I hope you're ready for a reunion Logan," the mutant grinned. "And I hope your new friend puts up at least a little fight." After all, Sabretooth did love a challenge. Slaughtering about half of the town's population had been an amusing side, but was hardly as fun as a real fight. He'd of course interrogated a couple people before killing them. They'd confirmed that a short, grizzled Caucasian man and a man of Asian descent had passed through their village.

According to the terrified woman he'd interrogated, the two men had saved a teenaged boy. The boy was in a hospital three hours away. Sabretooth had briefly considered going there to end the child's life. He was determined to undo any effort Wolverine had made, especially in protecting the lives of garbage. In the end however, Victor Creed decided it wasn't worth the effort.

He padded silently out of the village and headed north. After he left, the survivors of the ravaged town began to slowly collect their dead.

* * *

Storm Shadow felt his breath catch as he gazed out over the wide and deep canyons of the Nahanni National Park Reserve. Brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow were painted across the sky as the sun rose in the east. Below him, ancient rock plunged deep into the earth, revealing splits and valleys. A small herd of caribou grazed at the bottom of the canyon and the piercing cry of a hawk echoed across the expanse of rock.

The glistening rapids of the South Nahanni River also flowed hundreds of feet below them. A boreal forest dotted the landscape as rugged mountains framed the scene.

Thomas Arashikage was awestruck.

"Impressive, isn't it?" the man at his side asked. There was a peaceful look on Logan's face as he studied the landscape as well. Tommy looked over at him. The ninja suddenly realized that his friend and mentor had needed this trip as much as he had.

"Yes," Tommy answered. He'd like to spend more time here. The ninja wasn't sure how long they actually would. Logan had been insistent on putting as much distance as possible between themselves and the mining village. They had rented a car and driven for nearly a day until they'd stopped at a place called Fort Simpson. The two men were now making their way through the national park, with the goal of heading north and then east back towards New York.

Logan frowned slightly as he looked out over the canyon. Although the man tried to hide it, Storm Shadow could tell that he was growing more concerned about something. When the ninja asked him about it, the mutant shrugged it off.

Storm Shadow had been unable to believe him. A sense of foreboding had begun to grow in his mind as well. He finally told this to Logan, who growled slightly in reply.

"I haven't picked up any scents," Wolverine admitted. "But I still feel like we're being followed." Storm Shadow didn't ask anything else. His own instincts were starting to urge caution. The ninja knew through long experience not to ignore them.

"We're going to separate the rest of the day and meet up tomorrow morning," Logan told him. "I'd like for you to spend the rest of the day meditating and self-reflecting. When we meet up tomorrow, I want you to be able to tell me at least one thing that you've learned about yourself."

Tommy nodded. Wolverine had mentioned before that he'd wanted to do this, but the original plan had been for them to separate for a few days. His friend must be really concerned if he'd shortened it to just a day.

"Then what?" the ninja asked.

"I need to make a house call," Logan answered. "I have some business to take of…and that includes finding out if we're being followed or not."

"Who're we going to meet?" Storm Shadow asked.

"His name's Shaman," Wolverine answered. "He's a member of Alpha Flight, like I used to be. He owes me a favor. He's a good friend too." Tommy gave him a curious look. He'd heard of Alpha Flight before; they were supposed to be the Canadian equivalent of the Avengers. The ninja hadn't realized that Logan had once been a part of it.

"Let's meet tomorrow at sunrise," the mutant said, bringing the conversation back to its original topic. "There's a small waterfall in the east end of this canyon," Logan added, pointing towards the distance. Tommy could just make it out. "We'll meet up there."

Tommy nodded. The two men stood silently for a few more minutes as they enjoyed the scenery. Logan eventually left quietly as he began to make his way down to the canyon floor. The ninja watched him for a while. Somewhere along the trip, Tommy had 'adopted' the man as an uncle. He hadn't told Logan, whom he also considered to be a friend and a teacher.

After years of being separated from what remained of his clan, the ninja had unconsciously begun to create new 'family' bonds. Snake Eyes had long been his best friend and brother. Stalker had been his former sergeant as well as a friend. Tommy hoped that they could be friends again. The ninja also wondered where Wade Collins was, who had also been in their original recon group.

The ninja continued to gaze down at the canyon as he thought about the people in his life. A tiny lump unconsciously formed in his throat as an image of his parents and uncles flashed through his mind. He shook it off. He was going to concentrate on the people still living.

Jinx had always been there for him as his cousin and as a younger 'sister.' Scarlett had originally been somewhat wary of him, but she had eventually accepted him during the time he'd briefly left Cobra to train Billy. He wasn't sure what she thought of him now. Storm Shadow wanted nothing more than to be accepted by his brother's future wife. At some point, she would be his sister-in-law. He wanted to be on good terms with her.

His mind flickered to another member of his 'family.' Billy, his student and…son…was somewhere. Where ever he was, Tommy hoped that his former protégé was safe. The ninja wondered if Professor Xavier or Snakes Eyes had managed to locate him yet. It bothered him that he couldn't clearly remember what had happened to the then teenager. His student would be in his mid-twenties by now.

Mid-twenties. When the hell had he gotten into his forties? It seemed like so long ago now that he'd been a twenty year old ranger running around in the jungle with an equally younger Snake Eyes, Stalker, and Wade Collins.

"_Hey, you're from California…right Tommy?" Wade Collins asked. The ninja looked over at the red head and grinned._

"_Yep. Best place in the world…well, except maybe for Japan," he answered. The quiet, blonde haired man at his side rolled his eyes. Tommy smirked at him._

"_Yee of little faith….farm boy," the ninja said._

"_Be careful," the farm boy told him. "I'll sic my twin sister after you."_

"_Is she pretty?" both Tommy and Wade asked. That earned a protective scowl and they laughed. Even Lonzo Wilkinson chuckled at it. Wade and Lonzo were busily cleaning their guns while Tommy kept the watch. Blondie stopped glaring long enough to turn a disgusted look on the field ration in his hand._

"_Not as good as my mom's pot roast," he sighed sadly. The man who would later become Snake Eyes took a bite and scowled._

"_Yeah…I miss my mom's lasagna," Lonzo added wistfully. The conversation soon veered into a discussion of food and exactly why each of their mothers was the best cook in the world. Tommy proudly tried to inform them that his own mother made the best okonomiyaki in the world. He then had to explain what exactly okonomiyaki was._

_They lapsed into silence for a while. Tommy's ears listened intently, but he still didn't hear any enemy movement._

"_Someday," Sergeant Wilkinson finally said, "We'll have to visit each other's mamas, just to try their cooking. Then we can see what exactly okono..okono…"_

"_Okonomiyaki," Tommy sniffed disdainfully. "It's not that hard to say." The other three men rolled their eyes. _

"_Whatever," Lonzo said. "We can see what that tastes like."_

"_Sounds like a plan gents," Wade said. He had the biggest grin on his face. "Then after that, Tommy can take us to the beach and we'll lie around all day looking at the girls."_

"_And surf," Blondie added, smiling. "He can teach us how to surf." Tommy crossed his arms and gave his teammates an amused look._

"_Just because I'm from California doesn't mean I know how to surf," the young ninja informed them. The three other young men gave him a disbelieving look. Even though they didn't know he was a ninja, they were fully aware that he had physical abilities far above the average ranger. The thought that Tommy couldn't surf was beyond them._

"_I might know how to surf a little," he finally admitted. Tommy admittedly wasn't the best at it. It wasn't that he couldn't be good at it; the fact was that he'd only tried surfing twice in his life. Again, his teammates didn't seem to buy it._

"_Whatever," Wade said. "We're going to go surfing, eat Japanese food, and watch girls." The young man continued on his fantasy post-war vacation and his teammates chimed in from time to time. Tommy felt his excitement growing. The thought of the four of them wandering around San Francisco and spending time at the beach was a goal he didn't mind looking forward to._

_Unfortunately, the trip never materialized._

Tommy sighed and felt a deep stab of regret. They had all four taken different paths in their lives, ones that none of them would have anticipated. Only Lonzo had probably taken the most 'normal' life path. Storm Shadow had been surprised to learn later that Wade had ended up working for Cobra as well, though in the Crimson Guard.

A sharp cry filled the air again. Storm Shadow watched as a hawk circled around in the air as it searched for prey.

Of course, he now had new 'family' waiting for him back in New York. The X-Men had been kind to him and Tommy felt such gratitude to not only Logan, but to others like Charles Xavier, Jean Grey, Hank McCoy, and Kurt Wagner…as well as the Fantastic Four. The two teams had easily accepted him, despite the horrible things he'd done under Cobra.

Tommy knew that the X-Men were Logan's 'family.' Nightcrawler was the Canadian's best friend and 'brother,' much in the same way he and Snake Eyes were. The hairy mutant also had other 'brothers and sisters' on the team, as well as a rival and three 'daughters.'

In a moment of humor, Logan had told the surprised ninja that he now had several 'sisters' and had told him to be careful. Tommy hadn't really known how to react to that. Reflecting now, however, he realized that it was true. Shadowcat, Jubilee, and Rogue had all been mentored by Logan, much in the same way that the Canadian was now doing for him. Logan also apparently had a foster daughter in Japan, so that probably made it a total of at least four sisters that Storm Shadow had somehow ended up with.

That thought both frightened him and amused him.

Storm Shadow finally stood up and stretched. He slid into a set of kata before too climbing down into the canyon. Someday he would have to bring his brother, Jinx, and Billy here. The canyons were the perfect place for training and meditation. Tommy was glad that Wolverine had decided to stop here, even though he was worried that they were being followed.

The ninja scaled easily down the steep rock incline. Eventually he and Logan would return to New York. When they did, Storm Shadow intended to join GI Joe if possible. Finding Billy and taking down Cobra were other goals on his 'to do' list.

Also on his list, of course, was watching some more Errol Flynn. He'd only been able to watch three of his movies so far. Tommy figured that he had a lot of catching up to do and Kurt was more than willing to help. After a moment, the ninja wondered if he could talk Snake Eyes into watching the films. Storm Shadow figured that he could. After all, surely his sword brother would recognize the greatness of the deceased movie star. Sure, Flynn wouldn't have stood a chance against a ninja, but that was beside the point. There was a certain chivalric charm and humor to the movies that had instantly endeared them to the ninja.

He briefly entertained the thought of memorizing some more Errol Flynn quotes when he got back, so as to annoy both Logan and his brother in the future. The ninja finally pushed these and other thoughts from his mind. Logan wanted him to self-reflect…not think of ways to torment him.

Tommy looked around for a good place to meditate. Evergreen trees were nestled alongside the river and he decided to go for a simple walk at the moment. Meditation could come later. It was quite the pleasant walk, especially since he and Logan were probably the only two humans in the canyon at the moment.

He gave a deep sigh. The beauty and peacefulness of the place calmed him. Storm Shadow couldn't remember the last time he had felt so at relaxed. Logan had told him that 'Nahanni' meant 'spirit' in the indigenous Dene language. Perhaps it was fitting that he was starting to regain his spirit here.

The ninja paused for a moment as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

What kind of name would Logan have if he were a member of the Arashikage clan? The Grumpy Master? The Claw Master? Storm Shadow mused on this troubling question. His mind would not sit at ease until he found a fitting name for Logan. After all, the man was a master and thus required a 'master' name. That was how Tommy rationalized it anyway, even if Logan would disagree.

Storm Shadow sat below a tree and contemplated this for a while.

The answer continued to elude him and he finally gave up and settled on the 'Grumpy Master' for the time being. Tommy still did not feel that this was an adequate title for Wolverine, but supposed it was sufficient for now.

Storm Shadow ventured on through the forested area. The scent of pine and the nearby Nahanni River filled the air. Tommy marveled at how crisp and clean the air was here when compared to the air in San Francisco, Tokyo, or New York.

The next few hours passed by swiftly. Tommy had climbed back up the canyon walls to view the landscape again, which still took his breath away. He meditated for a while before climbing back down around lunch time. Tommy still didn't feel like he had an answer yet for Wolverine's question. What else was there to learn about himself?

It didn't help that he was starting to get a little bored as well. Storm Shadow had never been particularly good about sitting in quiet contemplation for long periods of time, especially if it didn't involve talking.

He stopped and looked around a moment before picking a cozy spot underneath a pine tree. He settled down and pulled open his bag. After a moment of contemplation, he decided on a small can of tuna and a bag of crackers. The canned fish was not anywhere near as tasty or healthy as fresh fish, but it made a convenient hiking food. He and Logan had been catching most of their meals, so fresh fish had actually been easy to come by. Wolverine had also shown him which plants were edible in the area.

"Stop complaining junior," the ninja told himself, making a passable attempt at imitating Wolverine's voice. "Rice balls, ramen, and sashimi don't exactly exist in the middle of the wilderness." Although they should, in his humble opinion. So should popcorn. He'd always had a soft spot for popcorn.

A small, rustling noise caught his attention. Tommy automatically felt himself stiffen slightly and forced himself to relax. There were no people here…it was just he and Logan. It was obviously some sort of wildlife. He ignored it as he watched a couple of mountain goats on the opposite canyon wall.

There was another rustling sound, only this time it was closer. Curious now, the ninja closely scanned his surroundings. He smiled slightly when he finally saw a nose and furry face watching him from a tree branch above him. A bushy tail waved underneath the animal as it eyed his lunch.

"Sorry Mr. Raccoon," Storm Shadow told it. "This is mine. I'm sure there's plenty for you to eat around here." The raccoon looked surprised that the strange, hairless creature on two legs was addressing it. It hunched down for a few seconds as it deliberated if it should run away or not. It apparently decided that this odd creature and his delicious smelling meal were too intriguing.

It stayed where it was and chattered at him. Tommy wondered if he could coax the animal down. He broke a cracker in half and held it up in the air. The raccoon stared at it, but wasn't quite convinced that it was worth getting close to the ninja.

Storm Shadow placed the cracker on the ground and backed slowly away. He crouched down a few meters from the tree and waited patiently. The raccoon looked at him, then at the cracker, and then back again. After a couple of minutes passed, it finally scurried down the tree and snatched the cracker. It ate it and ran back up the tree.

Tommy threw another cracker at the base of the tree. Another round of staring began before the creature climbed back down for the treat. The ninja threw another cracker, only slightly further from the tree. The raccoon hesitated a long moment before going for it. It then sat and stared back at him.

"More?" the ninja asked. "You're a glutton. Go catch bugs or whatever it is that raccoons eat." It cocked its head and continued to look at him. Tommy finally gave in and threw another cracker, only this time he threw it closer to himself. He figured that if the animal wanted a treat, it would have to work for it.

The game continued for another thirty or forty minutes until the raccoon was finally within arms' reach of the ninja. Tommy placed a cracker in his hand and rested it on the ground, palm up. The raccoon studied it before boldly taking it out of his hand. He tried to pet it, but it scurried back just out of reach.

Storm Shadow knew he should just give up. For some reason though, he'd become absolutely determined to get the animal to let him touch it. He knew it was probably impossible, as it was a wild animal and had probably never even seen a human before. However, the ninja easily rationalized it. If Snake Eyes could adopt a damned wolf, then he sure as hell could get a raccoon to come to him.

He placed a few more crackers on the ground and then sat cross-legged. Tommy knew he should be meditating, but this was far more interesting.

"It's nice to have someone else to talk to," he told it. "Logan says I talk too much sometimes, but I don't think he really minds…well…except for that time he threatened to duct tape my mouth shut, but I think he was joking. Besides…he didn't have any duct tape anyway." If he'd had any, Tommy suspected that the older man might have actually attempted to carry out his threat.

The raccoon listened carefully. Tommy concluded that it was a very good listener and didn't mind the conversation. After all, what else did raccoons have to 'talk' about in the wild? His life couldn't be that interesting.

"He's a good man though," the ninja told the animal. "He's a little grumpy sometimes, but he's a good teacher and friend. His conversational skills need a little work sometimes though." The raccoon made a chirping sound.

"You know, if you come closer I'll give you another cracker," he said. "But not until then…no more freebies. You have to earn your pay."

The raccoon sat for a few more minutes before finally losing interest and running back up the tree. Tommy sighed. It had been interesting while it had lasted. He wondered just how his brother had managed to tame a wild animal. Snake Eyes had always been the animal person. It probably had something to do with his farm upbringing. Storm Shadow, on the other hand, was a city boy through and through.

He settled back underneath the raccoon's tree and pulled a small hammer and a small chunk of rock from his camping bag. Tommy studied it for a moment before tapping an edge of it. A tiny piece of flint broke off.

The ninja had bewailed his lack of having a bow and arrows with him, so Logan had shown him how to make stone arrowheads with the ancient art of flint knapping. It was hard work and Tommy's first couple of attempts had failed miserably. While they had vaguely been the correct shape, they hadn't been good enough to actually use. Hopefully his newest attempt would be better.

Storm Shadow grinned when he heard the by now familiar sound of claws walking along an upper tree branch. He risked a quick peak up and saw that a certain raccoon was staring down at him again.

"I know, I know," he told it. "I'm supposed to be self-reflecting, but that's kind of boring." Talking was more fun and Tommy had always found it a little easier to work things out vocally. He held up the unformed arrowhead and frowned at it. There was a slight chittering sound from the above branch when he moved.

"Don't make fun of it," Tommy scolded the raccoon. "I'd like to see you try to make an arrowhead." The animal chattered back for a few seconds before lapsing back into silence. Storm Shadow was halfway convinced that the animal understood him. However, someone else would probably call him crazy if he ever said so.

The ninja looked back down at the soon to be weapon. Some of the lines were starting to take shape. Maybe he was starting to get the hang of it this time. Of course, metal arrowheads were better, but he didn't exactly have any with him right now. Besides, the idea of actually making his own weapons from scratch had appealed to him.

Sharp lines in the rock began to narrow into a point as he cut away unwanted pieces. A shape of an arrowhead began to appear and…

_It flew by too fast for him to catch. The astonished Tommy could only watch in horror as it pierced his uncle. His arrow! That had been his arrow!_

_He heard the sound of footsteps running. Turning, the young man saw a figure dashing away. The ninja looked at him and back at his uncle. Other footsteps were now running towards the scene of the tragedy. What to do? It was HIS arrow. Tommy didn't want to believe he'd be blamed for it, but he'd also had a few clashes with his uncles recently._

_He took off after the killer, determined to catch the man who had murdered his uncle and prove to possible doubters that he was innocent._

_Years later, he was still chasing the murderer. After years of broken promises and innocent blood, he was no closer than he'd been before. His family hated him and wanted to kill him. His brother thought he was a murderer….and perhaps he was. Storm Shadow's hands were bloody from working for the nearby man in the blue hood._

_A pair of sharp, intense eyes watched him from underneath that hood. They were a prison, sucking him ever deeper into…_

A flash of pain burned in his hand and Tommy came to with a gasp. Sweat poured down his face as he looked down. His right hand was stained with blood. The ninja realized that he'd cut himself with the half formed arrowhead. Storm Shadow swore as he pressed his palm against his knee to stop the bleeding as he dug out his first aid kit. It was a deep cut, but luckily he hadn't cut it down to the bone.

He definitely wouldn't be flint knapping again for a while.

After he treated the wound, he went for a brief walk to clear his now troubled mind. Tommy alternated between meditation and exercising the next few hours to pass the time. He thought back to his earlier memory that day. He'd never gotten a chance to taste his mother's cooking again. The young ninja been sucked into Cobra too quickly after that. She'd died a few years after he'd joined. During the brief time he'd been able to escape Cobra, he'd learned from Jinx that she'd become very ill. Tommy had carried a deep sense of guilt after that. He was almost positive that she'd died from a broken heart.

He had another hallucination that afternoon, only this time the ninja thought he saw the figures of the people he'd killed staring at him. The frightened ninja had apologized repeatedly before finally huddling underneath the tree he'd adopted. It finally passed, but Tommy was too upset afterwards to meditate. The throbbing pain in his right hand wasn't helping either.

The ninja was trying not to feel sorry for himself when something furry landed on his head. Tommy yelped in surprise as a furry tail hit him in the face. There was a chattering noise in his ear as a set of claws dug into hair.

"Ow! Get off!" Storm Shadow yelled. He made a grab for the raccoon, who eluded him and leapt nimbly off of his head and onto his bag. The ninja gaped at the animal, who stared back at him. It made a tiny chirp before it began to paw at a pocket in his bag. Tommy laughed when he saw that it was the pocket he kept the crackers in.

"Bad raccoon!" Storm Shadow scolded. The raccoon froze for a few seconds before it returned to ignoring him. It began to bite the bag as it attempted to free the hidden crackers.

"Hey! Hey!" The ninja reached over to the bag. There was a low growl as the animal gave him a grumpy look. Tommy glared a moment before suddenly grabbing the surprised animal and lifting it off the bag.

"Hey! Don't you dare try to bite me!" he warned. "I'll give you crackers if you be nice." He set the raccoon down and watched it dash a few feet away before stopping. It glowered at him and vocalized its obvious irritation at being foiled. Tommy pulled out a cracker and put it on his lap.

The raccoon stared at him.

"Don't look at me," Storm Shadow said. "You're the one that attacked me and tried to steal my crackers. If you want one, you have to come get it." It didn't move for about a minute before it finally began to edge slowly towards him. The ninja watched as it moved to within a few inches. He resisted reaching out to touch it.

"You going to be nice?" he asked it. Tommy watched as its bushy tail swished back and forth. Two clawed paws finally reached forward and snatched the cracker off of his leg. The ninja half expected it to run away again. This time, however, the raccoon eyed him for a moment before deciding that he wasn't a threat. It gobbled up the treat and waited.

Storm Shadow slowly pulled another cracker from the bag and held it out. The animal took it without its former hesitation. Tommy smiled and again resisted the urge to pet it. He'd finally earned the raccoon's trust. He wasn't about to jeopardize it.

"I think you need a name," he told it. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he began to plot as to how he could take the animal with him. He would of course need to present a logical explanation to Logan as to _why_ exactly he'd adopted the animal. Fortunately, there were many reasons he could argue. For one thing, Tommy was fairly certain that a wild raccoon was a more reasonable pet than a wild wolf.

"How about Errol?" he asked it. It looked at him as if to ask why…or to beg for more crackers. Tommy wasn't sure which.

"Errol Flynn," the ninja explained. Only Errol Flynn, at least if he'd been a raccoon, would have made such a daring leap onto an 'enemy's' head as a ruse to steal food. Of course Errol Flynn would never try to steal food….unless he'd been a raccoon of course, then he might have…

Wait…did this line of logic even make sense?

Tommy shrugged after a moment. Logical or not, he thought that the name was a good fit. The newly christened Errol looked at him a long moment before finally laying down near him. The raccoon still looked warily around, as if not quite sure if he should be doing this or not.

"Don't worry, you're safe with me," the ninja told it. "I won't let any nasty wolves eat you."

The rest of the day seemed to fly back. Tommy decided to stay where he was for the night. He meditated for a while before finding a creek to try his luck at catching fish. Logan had told him that the fishing was better in the creeks than the river, due to the river's high silt content.

The ninja felt a flash of triumph when he returned to find his new friend waiting for him. The raccoon was back up in the tree for safety, but it ran down the tree when it saw him approach. Tommy built a small fire and roasted the three trout he'd caught. He gave one to the raccoon, who was very appreciative of the free fish.

Tommy quietly talked to the animal for a while. It felt soothing, even though he knew it probably couldn't understand him. Errol lay near him and listened. The raccoon had been wary of the small fire at first, but had now become quite pleased by the warmth it provided. It was still technically summer, but they were far enough north that the nights became very cold.

After a while, the ninja hesitantly reached out towards the raccoon. It hunched down slightly, but didn't run away as he lightly touched it. Errol settled down and allowed Tommy to stroke its thick coat. Storm Shadow felt himself smile. There was something calming about having an animal around.

Night time eventually came. Tommy crawled into a warm sleeping bag and stared up at the sky. The forest wasn't thick enough that it blocked the impressive night sky. A crescent moon shone brightly and dimly lit up part of the forest. Even more beautiful were the crystal like stars glistening against an ebony ocean.

"I like it here," he told Errol. The raccoon was curled up near his head. It seemed satisfied that there was no danger in sleeping on the ground instead of in the tree like it was accustomed to.

Tommy stargazed for a while. He amused himself by finding different constellations. The ninja didn't know many, but Logan had taught him the Inuit ones. Storm Shadow wondered if there was a raccoon one.

The ninja eventually began to drift off towards sleep. A warm, comforting presence seemed to surround him as his eyes closed. A strong, gentle hand lightly stroked his face. The half-asleep Tommy relaxed at the familiar sensation. However, somewhere deep in his consciousness, he realized that he should be alone. No one should be touching him.

His eyes flew open and he stared above him. A shadowy, female figure was looking down at him. Tommy felt his throat close as a sudden well of emotion threatened to burst out of his chest. The ghostly woman smiled at him and for a moment, her form brightened in the darkness. A look of pure love covered her face as she looked back at him.

"Kaa-chan?" he whispered. His mother smiled at him before her form vanished. Tommy sat up instantly and reached out towards where she'd been. Errol jumped up at the sudden movement and stared warily around them. The raccoon's fur bristled as it began to growl slightly. It backed up against the tree and crouched.

"Mother?" Tommy asked again, this time in English. He looked around again and stood up, pacing around the dying embers of the campfire. Where was she? She'd just been here.

The ninja looked over at the frightened raccoon. Tommy sighed as he walked slowly back to the animal and crouched down. He held a hand out to it. The raccoon sniffed it a moment before glaring up at him.

"Sorry Errol," he apologized. "I…think I was just dreaming."

The animal finally relaxed and Tommy pet it a few times. He gave it a couple of crackers as an apology. Errol accepted the crackers with a low purr. The ninja settled back into his sleeping bag and Errol curled up next to him again, though slightly farther away than he'd been before. The animal seemed to be saying _'I'm still slightly pissed at you.'_

Tommy sighed as he stared up at the night sky again. There was no way he was going to fall asleep again, not after that.

Had it really been his mother? Or had it just been a dream? Tommy contemplated that for a while, but couldn't come up with a definite answer. He wanted to believe with all his heart that it was her. He wanted to believe that she'd been watching over him.

Tommy wanted to believe that she'd forgiven him.

He silently lay in his sleeping bag for a few hours. The ninja listened as an owl hooted nearby. Small, scratching noises of scurrying rodents reached his sensitive ears and finally, after a time, Storm Shadow found himself drifting off into sleep again.

As he neared the edge of sleep, another ghostly figure looked down at him. Tommy blinked his eyes as the Soft Master bent over him with a look of deep regret.

Storm Shadow thought he heard the words _"I'm sorry,"_ as he fell asleep, but it could have been the wind blowing lightly through the trees.

* * *

Morning was dawning over the canyon. Tommy easily crawled up the nearly vertical rock face, pausing only to admire the sun rising majestically above the horizon. A small waterfall gushed nearby, sending the occasional spray of icy, cold water over the surrounding rock. The ninja smiled as he heard a soft, chittering sound from the inside of his knapsack.

"Don't worry," he told Errol, "I'm not going to fall." The raccoon continued to chatter at him, as if it weren't quite convinced. Tommy had managed to coax the animal into riding inside a compartment of his bag. He'd left it unzipped slightly so Errol could have air to breath. Every so often, the ninja heard the animal stick its nose out of the bag and sniff around.

Storm Shadow reached the top and found Logan waiting for him. The man was sitting cross legged and staring out at the rising sun. Tommy wondered how his night had gone. There was a look of utter peace on the other man's face.

"What did you learn?" Wolverine asked, turning his head to look at him. Tommy sat down next to him and took off the bag. He settled the bag in front of them and smirked as a furry nose stuck out of the small opening in it. Logan stared at the bag as Tommy further unzipped the compartment.

A furry, mask like face popped out and chastised both men. A shocked look crossed Wolverine's face as he gaped at the animal. The mutant slapped a hand to his face and swore slightly.

"I send you off to find enlightenment and you come back with a damned raccoon," Logan groaned. Tommy grinned slightly as he scratched the raccoon behind an ear.

"Errol's not just any raccoon," he informed his friend. "And who says that enlightenment can't be found in a raccoon?"

"Errol? You _named_ it?" The look on Logan's face was priceless. Storm Shadow decided that for that reason alone, befriending the raccoon had been worth it. The young raccoon made a purring sound as it ducked back down into Tommy's bag and began to poke its nose around.

"Errol?" Logan repeated, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Tommy had decided to 'adopt' a wild animal.

"Errol Flynn," the ninja explained. "Well, not _the_ Errol Flynn, since the real one wasn't furry." Logan groaned again and Storm Shadow felt a flash of amusement. He suddenly felt like tormenting the man.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he gets his shots," the ninja added nonchalantly. "I'll even litter train him."

"How the damned hell do you plan to do that?" Wolverine growled. The mutant seemed to doubt the ninja's litter training capabilities.

"Well…my brother house trained a wild wolf," the ninja explained. "If he can do that, I can potty train a raccoon." Errol gave a low growl, which Tommy decided to interpret as the raccoon's approval of his plan. Wolverine stared at him for a long moment before finally giving up and throwing his hands up in the air.

"_Fine_…the bloody raccoon can come. It doesn't look like I've got a damned choice anyway," the mutant complained irately. Logan tried to look annoyed, but Tommy could tell that the man wasn't actually that irritated. He was proven correct when Wolverine finally shook his head and smirked at the bag.

"You know he probably has fleas," the amused mutant finally told him. Tommy froze slightly as a low groan escaped his lips. His scalp _had_ started to itch a bit. Wolverine smirked when he saw the look on the ninja's face.

Logan seemed simultaneously annoyed and amused when he spotted a flea jump off a not so amused Storm Shadow. Tommy groaned again. He hated being dirty and usually spent a certain amount of time making sure his physical appearance was pristine. Fleas were _not _something he wanted to deal with.

"I guess I'll have to give him a bath or something," Tommy finally sighed. Fleas hadn't even occurred to him. They were probably all over the inside of his bag now. The smirk on Logan's face widened.

"And how the hell do you plan to give a _wild_ raccoon a bath?" the man asked.

"Um…" Tommy replied. Wolverine chuckled a moment before sighing.

"I guess we'll need to stop somewhere," Logan told him. "I don't want those damn things around and I'm sure as hell not dragging fleas into Shaman's house." Tommy felt his face flush slightly in embarrassment. He wasn't about to blame Errol though. It wasn't the animal's fault. After all, it wasn't like the raccoon had asked to get fleas.

Tommy watched as Logan's eyes flickered over to his bandaged right hand.

"What happened to your hand?" he asked.

"I…cut it accidentally," Tommy replied. His mentor gave him a piercing look, knowing full well that ninjas didn't just 'accidentally' cut their hands. Storm Shadow sighed as he explained how it had happened. The ninja told him about the two hallucinations he'd had the previous day. Logan listened silently as Tommy talked.

"It takes time," Wolverine finally said. "They'll go away eventually though."

"Does the pain?" Tommy asked, knowing the answer already. His friend shook his head.

"That never goes away," Logan said, regret lacing his voice. "The only thing we can do is deal with it. We both have people around us that care…we're not alone."

"I know," the ninja admitted. They sat quietly for a while and watched as the sun continued to rise. Errol popped his head back out of the bag and looked at the two men. The raccoon scratched at the fabric and Tommy finally let him out. The animal sniffed around for a while before settling himself between Tommy and Logan.

Storm Shadow watched with mild surprise as Logan reached down to pet the raccoon. Errol rolled over onto his back and purred as the mutant rubbed his belly.

"Just like a damned dog," Logan muttered, but there was a small smile tugging at his lips. The ninja watched quietly for a few seconds.

"I saw my mother," Storm Shadow suddenly said quietly. "She…was there with me…so was the Silent Master." Logan's eyes became piercing in their intensity. The ninja shifted uncomfortably as the mutant looked at him.

"I…don't know if it was real or if I was dreaming," he admitted. He was especially uncertain if he'd actually seen and heard his dead uncle.

"Did they say anything?" the mutant asked after a moment.

"My mother didn't…not in words anyway," Tommy answered. It hadn't been necessary. The look of pure love and forgiveness on her face and the familiar touch of her ghostly hand had been enough.

"My uncle…" the ninja said. "He…he told me he was sorry…at least I think he did." He'd nearly been asleep and the words had been spoken so softly. "He didn't say anything else."

Logan studied him for a long moment. His blue eyes eventually looked away. The older man silently gazed out over the deep canyon.

"Nahanni does mean spirit," Wolverine finally said. "Stories also say that some of the valleys here are supposed to be haunted…"

"Do you think it was really them?" Tommy asked, unable to keep the hopefulness out of his voice. His friend sighed.

"I don't know," Logan admitted. "Most of the 'ghost' stories are from the headless bodies of dead gold prospectors that occasionally turned up at the beginning of the nineteenth century." He was silent again for a time. Wolverine stood up and stretched his arms.

"However…" the mutant finally added. "This place…has been home to indigenous tribes for thousands of years. Who knows what may be here." Tommy felt his shoulders slump at that. He wanted to believe that it had actually been his mother and uncle, but what if he'd been hallucinating again? Despite his mixed Shinto, Buddhist, and Christian upbringing, Storm Shadow wasn't quite sure if he believed in spirits, even though he wanted to believe in some kind of afterlife.

"We'll ask Shaman when we see him," his friend finally said. "He deals with this sort of thing."

"Who is he?" Tommy asked, growing more curious about the man that Logan wanted to contact.

"His name's Michael Twoyoungmen," the other man answered. "He used to be a world class surgeon…still is, but he decided to become a shaman after his wife died." Storm Shadow wondered if the man was anything like Spirit. He knew that Charlie Iron Knife was a shaman as well.

"He can talk to the dead?" Storm Shadow asked, trying not to sound too skeptical. Logan's eyes twinkled slightly in hidden humor as he looked over at the ninja.

"Yes…and he's also one of the most powerful sorcerers on the planet," the mutant told him. Tommy gave him an odd look. He knew that magic existed, as Cobra had tried unsuccessfully to dabble in it before. Cobra Commander had eventually given up on trying to harness it, as experiments with sorcery had always ended up badly.

"Sorcerer?" Tommy asked. "Don't tell me that he can turn me into a frog if he wants." Logan's face broke into a feral grin and the ninja groaned slightly. He did not want to deal with magic. The fleas were bad enough.

"He could if he wanted to…or shrink you down to the size of my finger and toss you inside his medicine pouch…which also happens to have a dimensional void inside of it," Wolverine answered. His voice was laced with barely hidden humor. Tommy didn't want to believe him. He was fairly certain that Logan was just pulling his leg in retaliation for adopting Errol. It didn't help that the man also had a smug look on his face.

"You're just trying to freak me out, right?" the ninja finally asked. Wolverine smirked as he turned around and began to walk away in the opposite direction. Storm Shadow gaped after him.

"He doesn't _really_ have another dimension inside a bag, does he?" Tommy asked warily. He refused to believe it. He'd seen a lot of strange things and many different kinds of mutant powers in his life so far, but…

"Logan?" Tommy called hesitantly. The man paused and turned around to look back at him.

"Hurry up Tommy or I'm going to leave you behind!" Wolverine shouted. "And keep an eye on that damned raccoon…he's tearing up something in that bag!" Tommy swore when he suddenly noticed the distinctive sound of something being shredded inside his knapsack. He whirled around and saw a bushy tail sticking out of his bag. The ninja knelt down and picked up the furry creature.

Errol chattered at him, somewhat annoyed at being caught. Pieces of paper hung from the animal's mouth. A dismayed Tommy recognized the remains of what had been his notebook.

"Errol!" he shouted.

His sensitive ears easily heard the laughter up ahead of him. The ninja ignored the amused Wolverine as he glared down at the raccoon, who had an angelic appearance. Errol gave him an innocent look and did his best to look positively cute.

"Bad Errol," Storm Shadow scolded. "No chewing things that you aren't supposed to." The raccoon chirped again and the ninja decided to forgive him for now. However, he still wasn't quite sure how the animal had gotten his paws on the notebook, as it had been inside a separate inner compartment. Tommy could only conclude that raccoons were natural ninjas.

"We're going to go meet a wizard, so you'd better behave," the ninja warned. "Or he'll turn you into a frog." The raccoon cocked his head and looked up at him, as if to say _'I like being a raccoon just fine.'_

"TOMMY! GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR AND HURRY UP!" a gruff voice bellowed.

"Beware of wolverines too," the ninja added. "They get very cranky sometimes and Logan's the master of cranky."

"I HEARD THAT!" Wolverine roared.

"He's actually the Grumpy Master," Tommy whispered to the raccoon. "His grumpy skills far surpass any known human, except maybe Beach Head."

"I HEARD THAT TOO!"

Tommy deposited the raccoon back into the knapsack. He shouldered the bag and trotted over to where Logan was waiting for him. The ninja grinned cheerfully as an idea formed in his head.

"We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Canada," he sang. Logan groaned again. The mutant reached out and swatted Tommy's head, but the ninja ducked. Tommy continued to sing his version of the Wizard of Oz song, but soon realized that he didn't know most of the words.

He compensated by making up the rest of it. Logan finally swore and managed to smack the ninja in the side. Tommy laughed and took off at a run, with the mutant chasing after him.

Errol chattered fiercely the whole time, clearly irritated at this new turn of affairs. When Tommy stopped running, Logan was instantly there. The heavier man wrestled him to the ground and the ninja did his best to fight him off. The two men paused only to take the bag off. A raccoon glared at them from inside the bag as he watched the impromptu spar.

Storm Shadow fought as best as he could, but Logan finally just sat on top of him. The metal of the other man's adamantium bonded skeleton meant that Wolverine weighed a lot. Tommy was effectively pinned to the ground and couldn't do anything.

"You give up yet?" Logan smirked. "Just say 'jisan.'"

"Bastard," Tommy croaked, struggling against the heavy weight on his back. "I hope you get fleas too." He swore as Logan reached down and grabbed a handful of dirt. The mutant proceeded to rub the dirt in the ninja's hair, knowing full well that Tommy hated having dirty hair.

"Fine," the ninja finally relented. "No more singing." He'd find other ways to tease the man. Tommy could almost see the skeptical look on Wolverine's face. However, the heavier man finally stood up and the ninja was free to move again.

Tommy shouldered his bag again and the two men continued on their way.

The sun rose high in the sky. The waters of the river Nahanni flowed beneath them. Clouds rolled over head and a cold wind cut through the landscape. All the while, a content raccoon chattered within the confines of a knapsack.

* * *

_Author's note:_

"_Kaa-chan," is an affectionate term for mother in Japanese. "Jisan" means uncle while "Jiisan or Ojiisan" means grandfather." Okonomiyaki is sort of like a pancake/omelet. You mix flour, eggs, cabbage, and other things into it. The ingredients change depending upon what region you're in in Japan. They're very good. They're one of my favorite Japanese foods._

_I'm going to update "Silence" a couple of more times before this one. The reason for this is that there's been a slight time skip with this story and there's a few things I want to cover in "Silence" before Logan and Tommy visit Shaman.  
_


	4. Taking the Scenic Route

**(This chapter takes place about a week after the Cobra attack on the GI Joe Pit.)**

_Ninja Walkabout_

_Chapter 4: Taking the Scenic Route  
_

Mountainous terrain passed by as the train made its way through the Scottish highlands. The son of Cobra Commander admired the scenery for a while before closing his eyes. William Kessler meditated as he contemplated his situation.

A small note was neatly folded in his left hand. It had appeared under his apartment door four days ago. William had read and reread the note until it had become ingrained in his memory.

"_Your father is searching for both you and Storm Shadow, who is now free. Your mentor has come to be associated with a mutant group known as the X-Men. Be cautious. This warning is all that I will do for you."_

The note wasn't signed, but William knew that it had been sent by Destro. He had agonized over the implications of it for the last few days. His mentor being free could be a lie and a ruse to draw him out, but Destro had already risked too much to keep William free from Cobra Commander. The young man doubted that it was a lie.

However, Destro had known exactly where to find him. That worried the young man, especially if his father was actively searching for him again.

No, not his father. That man had never been his father. His real father had been imprisoned and brainwashed by that maniac. And now, if Destro was to be trusted, his father and mentor was free.

The X-Men. William wasn't sure how to get in contact with either them or the Joes at this point. He'd kept his head low to the ground for the last few years in the hopes of avoiding detection. Still, William felt he knew a good place to start looking.

He looked down at the newspaper article in front of him. It was an old article, dated from three years ago, describing the research being done at Muir Island on mutant genetics. William had been intending to visit the island, which was just off of the northern coast of Scotland. However, fear that he might draw unwanted attention had kept him away.

Of course, he couldn't avoid that now. William needed to find Storm Shadow and if his mentor knew the X-Men, then all the better. There had long been rumors in the news that Charles Xavier had a team of mutant superheroes, which was denied. The young man, however, had his own reasons for wanting to meet the mutant civil rights leader.

"_You want me to take care of a __plant__?" a young Billy asked. He looked down at the small bonsai tree in his hands and up at a smirking ninja. Storm Shadow seemed amused by the boy's reluctance to learn simple gardening._

"_Fighting is as much a mental and spiritual discipline as it is a physical one," his mentor explained. "You must pay attention to detail, be aware of everything around you, and be responsible. Taking care of this plant will teach you these things, as well as a respect for life."_

"_But it's a plant," the boy persisted._

"_A plant is still alive," Thomas Arashikage replied. "Lack of care will kill it and whatever spirit it contains."_

"_That's very Shinto of you," Billy told him. His mentor rolled his eyes and denied any such thing. Storm Shadow liked to claim that he was agnostic in the sense that he believed in some kind of afterlife and otherworldly power, but wasn't quite convinced in gods or God. The young boy decided not to point out that there was a small statue of Kannon in the back of their small dojo that definitely didn't belong to him._

_As much as Billy had tried to deny it, he came to like his plant raising duties. There was something calming about it and he found great personal satisfaction in watching his bonsai tree grow. Of course, the young boy wasn't too well versed in plant raising, so he'd assumed that it was entirely normal for his tiny tree to have grown two inches in three days._

_His mentor didn't seem to be of the same opinion._

"_That's…kind of weird," Tommy had admitted. Jinx was studying the bonsai tree as well. The two cousins were trying to figure out how it was possible for the plant to have grown that quickly. Neither one came up with a solution and decided to chalk it up to being a special plant._

"_Maybe there's a kami inside of it?" Jinx asked a few days later. The bonsai tree had grown another inch and a half and Billy had been forced to replant it in a larger pot. The young boy had since dubbed his plant 'Hanasaka' in honor of an old Japanese folktale about an old man that could make withered flowers bloom._

"_Or Billy has a green thumb," the somewhat skeptical Storm Shadow said. His cousin raised an eyebrow and pointed at the bonsai tree._

"_Tommy…that thing grew over three inches in under a week!" she replied. "That's not normal!"_

_They had argued about it for a while. The tree had continued to grow, though somewhat more slowly than it had previously. Billy had ended up repotting it twice before it finally stopped growing. By that point, the tree had grown nearly two feet in just a little over a month. Both of the ninjas had been spooked by it at first and Billy had spotted Jinx tying a small Shinto talisman around one of the branches. The boy pretended not to notice it and neither ninja ever mentioned it._

The adult Billy felt himself smile at the memory. Little had any of them known that the "mystical" bonsai tree had simply been his latent mutant ability beginning to manifest itself. The teenager had never thought anything to be out of the ordinary until the day that Dr. Mindbender had attempted to put him back into the brainwave scanner. The part of him that had become addicted to the machine saw nothing wrong. The part of him that had begun to think again as the previous brainwashing wore off knew that he had to act.

Mindbender had kept various specimens of plants in his laboratory for research. In his panic to be free, Billy's mutant powers had erupted in full force. All of the plants, most of which had contained a toxin of some type, had suddenly grown into tree sized specimens. Deadly toxins had flooded the laboratory while the plants had continued to grow and destroy everything in their path.

William wasn't quite sure how he escaped after that, as his memories weren't too clear. He remembered running into Destro, who had quickly hidden him for a few hours before helping him to escape in a transport plane owned by his MARS Company.

The teenager had then spent nearly a week hiding in one of Destro's secret safehouses. The Baroness had met briefly with Billy a couple of times and had revealed her own mutation to him. Billy hadn't known if she was helping him out of a sense of guilt over the time she and Major Bludd had left him to take the fall for the attempted assassination of his father, or out of sympathy for the fact that they were both mutants and had both been subjected to the brainwave scanner.

Regardless, the woman's company had helped him to sort through his confusion. The Baroness had spent several hours helping him to try to control his powers. It was then that Billy learned that he could control all plant matter, whether dead or alive. He later learned that the reason he hadn't been infected by the poison released in Mindbender's lab was because he was apparently immune to all plant toxins.

That had been the last he'd seen of the Baroness or Destro. After the Scottish Laird had given him money and false IDs, both had kept their distance from the young man. At least, until now.

"_We will be arriving in Aberdeen in approximately twenty minutes,"_ a female voice said over the loudspeaker. _"Thank you for traveling with Scotrail Rail."_

He was almost there. William knew that the former head of Muir Island, Moira MacTaggert, was now dead. However, he hoped that someone there would be able to put him into contact with the X-Men.

* * *

Calgary, Alberta… the fifth largest city in Canada.

Of all the places to find a magic using shaman, this wasn't what Storm Shadow had expected. He had been expecting a cabin in the middle of the woods, not a suburban house. The house was small, but rather nice. It was obvious that the owner had some money, which didn't come as a surprise since Michael Twoyoungmen was once a surgeon.

Storm Shadow covertly studied his surroundings. There was little indication that the man who lived here was a shaman or one of the First Nation people. Other than a few pieces of traditional folk art, the home could have belonged to anyone. The bookshelf was mostly lined with medical and history books. An oil painting of a winter landscape scene hung over a couch. A pot of coffee was brewing in the kitchen.

"According to information given us by the Canadian government, Cobra has several cells in the country. They've apparently taken over a secret Hydra munitions plant up north."

The ninja turned his attention to the two men seated in the kitchen. The darker skinned man with long hair had been the one who had spoken. His hand rested on a raccoon curled up contently on the table. Even though he was a wild animal, Errol had taken instantly to the shaman.

"Is Alpha Flight planning to do anything about it?" Logan asked. The other man nodded.

"Vindicator and North Star are conducting reconnaissance as we speak," Shaman answered. "James didn't think we should make a move until we've gathered all the intelligence we could." Wolverine nodded and neither man spoke for a while. Their host got up and took out three cups, but Tommy politely declined the coffee. The ninja had never really liked the taste of the drink.

"You have any tea, Michael?" Logan asked, giving the ninja a knowing look. "He thinks coffee is poison."

The shaman chuckled while he opened his cabinets and took out a small canister of loose leaf tea. Tommy gave his friend an indignant look, but was ignored.

"Green tea, I suppose?" Michael Twoyoungmen asked. Storm Shadow nodded and thanked him. The man chuckled again as he put some dried leaves in a tea ball to steep.

"You do know that green tea has caffeine as well, don't you?" the man asked with amusement. Storm Shadow started to reply that coffee had higher levels of caffeine and was without the benefit of the natural antioxidants that were in green tea. The shaman's lips quirked up into a smile and Tommy belatedly remembered that the man was a doctor. He shut his mouth an instant later.

"He has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth sometimes," Logan smirked. "Just ignore him."

"Says the man who could drink drain cleaner and not get sick," Storm Shadow retorted. "Some of us don't have that luxury."

"The luxury to drink drain cleaner?" Wolverine replied. "If you want to drink drain cleaner, then you're more suicidal than I thought."

"That's not what I…ugh…" Tommy rolled his eyes and pointedly ignored the man laughing at his expense. He swore that Logan enjoyed trying to get a rise out of him. If the ninja often tried to do the same to his friend, he justified it as revenge.

Shaman chuckled as he scratched behind Errol's ear. The raccoon turned over onto his back and purred up at the man.

"Traitor," Storm Shadow told it.

"He's still your pet," the shaman answered. "He's a good animal. Raccoons are a very intelligent species. I'll admit that I'm a bit surprised that you've gotten a wild animal to settle down this much."

"At least once we got rid of the fleas," Logan grumped, still a little sore about it. The two men had fought a long battle to get rid of the damned things and Errol hadn't taken too well to having flea powder dumped into his fur several times. The raccoon had retaliated by biting and scratching.

Tommy reached over and began to pet the animal as well. Errol blinked at him a moment before inching closer to the ninja.

"See?" Michael asked. "He knows who his master is."

"He knows who feeds him," Logan replied.

"Ignore him," Shaman told the ninja. "I think the two of you were fated to meet. Animals are wonderful companions. There is no better ointment for the soul than a pet."

Tommy thought about that. He wasn't that sure that the 'great spirits' or whatever had sent the raccoon to him. However, the ninja would admit that having the animal around had set his mind at ease. His nightmares came less frequently now that he'd adopted Errol. Or since Errol had adopted him, he wasn't quite sure.

"I need some information Michael," Logan said, finally coming to the main point of their visit. "I think someone is following us."

"You want me to find out for sure," Shaman stated. "Of course. I'll need at least an hour to prepare first."

"We're also looking for someone," the mutant added. "Tommy's looking for his former protégé, Billy. The kid is Cobra Commander's son."

Storm Shadow stared at his friend and then over at the shaman. Twoyoungmen could find Billy's location? The ninja sat up a little straighter and looked at Shaman with greater intensity. Errol sensed the change in mood and squeaked up at his master.

Shaman looked at the ninja for a moment before nodding.

"Very well," he agreed. "In the meantime, you are free to do as you wish."

"I'd like to contact the X-Men," Wolverine told him. Shaman pointed down the hall to their left.

"You know where I keep the communications console," the man said. "I also still have a few of the things you left here last time."

Shaman and Logan finished their coffee before separating. The former surgeon disappeared into a far room and didn't come out for a while. Meanwhile, Tommy followed his friend into another section of the house. There was a panel in front of a door, but Logan apparently knew the code. The door opened a few seconds later to reveal an expensive looking computer against the end of the room. Several weapons hung on the wall, including a single katana.

Logan lifted the katana off of the wall first and handed it to the ninja.

"I left this here last time," the mutant said. "I figured it was easier than trying to get a sword past airport security." Tommy took the weapon and unsheathed it. It was an excellent sword and seemed to be rather new.

"The edge is tipped with adamantium," Logan explained. "You should be able to slice through just about anything with that." Storm Shadow's eyebrows lifted slightly as he examined the blade. Upon closer inspection, he saw that a different type of metal had indeed been inlaid on the sword's edge.

"Thank you," Tommy told him, not knowing what else to say. His own swords had been destroyed during his original fight with the mutant and hadn't yet been replaced. He hadn't been expecting to receive something like this.

"Can he really find Billy?" he asked. Wolverine glanced at him a moment as he sat down in the chair. His fingers tapped a few keys and he waited for the computer to boot up.

"Michael's found people for me before," Logan answered. "It takes a lot of magic though, especially if he doesn't have anything belonging to the person to make the tracking process easier."

Storm Shadow went back to examining the sword. He was tempted to touch the edge, but that would have been foolish. His old swords had been extremely sharp and they hadn't even contained any adamantium.

"_Logan?"_ a surprised voice asked. Jean Grey's face had appeared on the computer screen.

"Just checkin' in dahlin," Logan drawled. "We're with Michael Twoyoungmen. How are things going back home?"

"_Fine for the time being,"_ the woman answered. _"Although we've picked up a few temporary visitors since you left."_ Logan raised an eyebrow and Jean Grey explained that the GI Joe Pit had been attacked by Cobra nearly a week before and destroyed. Most of the Joes had been quartered temporarily at SHIELD and the Avenger's headquarters, with a few staying at the mansion.

"The Pit's _gone_?" Storm Shadow asked, leaning over Logan's shoulder to peer at the screen.

"_Unfortunately, yes Tommy,"_ Jean replied. She related the battle to the two men, as well as the fact that Archangel was under a form of mind control. Wolverine growled quietly when she finished.

"Snake Eyes?" the ninja asked, wanting to know where his brother was. Jean smiled and reassured him that his friend was not only in excellent health, but was one of the Joes staying at the mansion. His brother had apparently taken a liking to the Danger Room.

"What happens now?" Wolverine asked. Jean shrugged.

"_General Hawk can't give us any particulars, except that a new Pit will be built elsewhere."_

"Is Snake Eyes around?" he asked her, hoping to get a chance to talk to his brother. However, the red haired mutant shook her head and said that he wasn't in the mansion at the moment. Tommy asked her to pass along a message to him, which she agreed.

"_What would you like for me to tell him?"_ she asked. Tommy thought about it. He was hoping to see his brother in the near future and he really didn't want to give out sensitive information in case Shaman's communication's system was being monitored.

"Tell him that I'll be home soon," the ninja finally said. "And that I hope to have Billy with me."

* * *

Approximately four hours later, the three men were in a secluded, rural area just outside of Calgary. Shaman built a small fire and instructed the other two men to sit on the ground. The three men ringed the fire while a small raccoon sniffed around nearby. Tommy watched as Shaman reached into a medicine pouch and pulled out some kind of powder.

He sprinkled the powder over the fire, causing the flames to turn a purplish color. The man chanted softly to himself in a language that Storm Shadow didn't understand. A few minutes passed before an image began to form out of the smoke.

A tall, heavily built man with blonde hair knelt down against the ground, sniffing. There was a feral, violent air about him.

"Creed," Wolverine growled. "How far behind is he?"

Shaman closed his eyes and seemed to be listening to a silent voice. When he reopened them again, he waved a hand at the fire. Sparks flew from his hand as the image changed. Tommy grimaced when the image zoomed out to show the terrain. He recognized where the man was. They'd been there three days ago.

"Three days," Logan muttered. "That's too close. I wonder how long he's been tailing us."

"What should we do?" Tommy asked him. They could try to lose Sabretooth, but from what Logan had told him about the man, that would be very difficult to do.

"We'll wait for him," his friend said. "We know he's coming, so we have the advantage."

"Your last encounter with him did not go too well," Shaman pointed out carefully. Logan answered him with a low growl. Tommy felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. He thought he'd gotten to know Wolverine pretty well in the last three weeks, but the sudden hatred in the man's eyes made him realize that there was a side to his friend that he hadn't yet seen.

"Creed and I have been playing this game too long," Logan finally sighed tiredly. "I just want it to end."

"Then let's end it," Storm Shadow told him. "Like you said, we know he's coming." Logan's lips pressed together tightly before he chose to speak again.

"You're not fighting," the mutant finally told him. "This is between me and Creed."

"What?" Storm Shadow asked. Logan gave him a 'look' and he backed down. The ninja fully understood the concept of blood feud and personal vendettas. That didn't, however, mean that he was content to watch from the sideline while his friend and mentor possibly battled for his life.

"And what if he's working for Cobra?" Tommy asked carefully. "We don't know if he's just after you, or if he's after me as well."

"Regardless, you're staying out of it unless you don't have a choice."

The ninja didn't press the issue, even though he was very unhappy with the situation. However, he respected Logan enough to honor his wishes.

"What about Billy?" Logan asked, changing the subject.

Several more minutes went by. Tommy was beginning to think that the shaman wouldn't be able to locate him when the smoke began to twist into a new image. A young man with an eyepatch and a beard was suddenly standing over the fire. He was in a train station, looking at a map in his hands.

"That's him," the ninja said. He'd know his student anywhere, even if he was older now. The bearded Billy looked up from the map and readjusted the backpack strap he had hanging over a shoulder.

"Where is he?" Wolverine asked.

"I'm trying to discover that," Shaman said tiredly. His face seemed slightly strained from the effort. He widened the image of the train station and Tommy narrowed his eyes. If it was a station, there had to be some sort of sign.

"There's a sign that says Aberdeen," he finally said, pointing to a smoky image of the name. "Where's that?"

Shaman's eyes closed tightly in concentration. The scene above the fire wavered and began to blur. Light danced around the man as the fire began to die. Then, in one final burst of magic, the fire roared up about ten feet before dissipating.

"Scotland," Shaman said. "He's in Scotland."

His shoulders slumped slightly from the toll of whatever spell he'd been using. Tommy felt his heart beat a few times. He knew where Billy was. However, his student seemed to be on the move. There was no telling how long he'd stay in Aberdeen or even Scotland for that matter.

"We'll head to Scotland after I deal with Creed," Logan told him. "We can pick up the trail from there."

Tommy nodded at him. Truthfully, he wanted to go now. However, Sabretooth as a threat needed to be dealt with first. He wasn't happy about it, but it was necessary. The last thing he wanted to do was to lead the man to Billy and possibly endanger his student's life.

It was a long night when they returned to Shaman's house. Logan was concerned that they'd led Sabretooth to the man's home and tried to convince his friend to leave for a few days. Michael Twoyoungmen, however, refused. The shaman insisted that the two men stay at his house for the next few nights. Logan finally relented when he realized that Victor Creed would trace them to Shaman regardless of how long they spent with him.

Storm Shadow had trouble sleeping that night, as well as the next. Adrenaline slowly built over the next couple of days as he waited for the upcoming fight. Logan grew more and more restless and took to sparring with the ninja with a greater ferocity than before. Storm Shadow wasn't sure, but it seemed as if the man were trying to prepare him for what was coming. The ninja might have been irked at any other time since he was already a ninja master. However, the mere fact that Logan was worried unsettled him.

"Tommy," a voice said. Storm Shadow looked up from the book he'd been reading to see Shaman standing in the doorway. Logan was currently out of the house. The ninja had been tempted to follow, but common sense had kicked in and told him that the man wanted to be left alone.

"Yes?" he asked. The shaman walked into the room. Tommy was surprised to see a bow and a quiver of arrows in the man's hand. He put down his book and stood up.

"Logan tells me that you are an archer," Shaman said. He handed the weapons to the ninja. "Against Victor Creed, you need every possible advantage."

"Shaman, I…" Tommy trailed off as he took the bow and quiver. He'd faced many dangerous foes in his life, but something was telling him that Victor Creed was going to be the worst.

"Take it," the other man said, placing a hand on the ninja's shoulder. "I made the arrows especially for you." Storm Shadow gave him a questioning look and the shaman pulled an arrow out of the quiver. He held it up and pointed to the white fletching at the end.

"These are sacred feathers," Shaman explained. "They were given to me by a goddess named Nelvanna as a gift for helping to deliver her child. You have a greater need for them than I do."

"I can't accept these," Tommy told him. He wasn't sure that he really believed that the feathers were sacred, but since Michael obviously did, the ninja wasn't going to cast doubt on something the man considered precious.

"They are not just for use against Sabretooth," the other man explained. "We all are born into this world for a purpose. I was given these feathers as a gift for a service I did. However, I believe that you can make better use of them."

"I don't know what my purpose is Shaman," the ninja admitted.

"No one does," Shaman replied. "I didn't at first. I didn't originally want anything to do with magic. I thought it was all hocus pocus rubbish. But events in my life forced me to come to terms with my heritage. Since then, I've devoted my life to helping those in need…whether through magic or medicine."

"Much of my life has been a waste," Storm Shadow said quietly. "I'm not even sure if I have a purpose."

The other man gave him a faint smile as he replaced the arrow in the quiver. He himself had once thought the same thing. Michael Twoyoungmen had lost himself after his wife and grandfather had died. Stricken by grief, he had failed to be the father he should have been to his now adult daughter.

"I thought so once too," Shaman told him. "But life is a journey and our purpose reveals itself. Simply living and trying to do what we can to help one another is enough."

Storm Shadow looked at him for a moment before staring down at the bow in his hands. The ninja had plainly seen the pain in the other man's eyes, as much as he'd tried to hide it. Tommy had to concede that Shaman had a point. It was perhaps then that the ninja finally fully grasped what Hank McCoy, Kurt Wagner, Logan, and now Michael Twoyoungmen had been trying to tell him.

There was a lot of pain in life and some people experienced more than others. He'd made mistakes. He'd been both a victim and a victimizer. There was blood on his hands that Tommy wasn't ever sure he would be able to wash away. He had yet to forget the horrors he'd experienced after his uncle's death.

But he was alive and was free to make new choices. If Tommy was to be honest with himself, he was no longer the somewhat arrogant and reckless young man he'd been when the Hard Master was killed. He had matured and become more thoughtful in his approach, even if he still had a tendency to somewhat reckless. All of the bloodshed and horrors he'd experienced as a slave of Cobra had only taught him a greater appreciation for life, no matter how small.

Once, as a young man, he'd shot a squirrel through a wall for both target practice and practicing the Seeing Ear technique. The action had angered his sword brother. Snake Eyes hadn't understood how he could end an animal's life for practice he didn't need. Tommy hadn't understood what his brother had been trying to tell him then. He did now.

He always had been a slower learner than his brother. Then again, the Hard Master had once remarked that he'd once had been as stubborn and prideful as Tommy when he was younger.

"Life's been trying to tell me things for a long time," Storm Shadow admitted. "But I've been too much of a fool to listen. I ended up taking the long and dangerous route."

"You took the scenic route," Michael told him. "Although I'm sure not all of it was terribly scenic, but that's beside the point. Some of us have a hard head, so life sometimes has to use a harder hammer to make us understand."

Storm Shadow realized that the man was talking about himself, but the analogy was applicable to his own situation.

"I must have a pretty damn hard head," Thomas Arashikage remarked dryly. That earned a laugh from the other man. Storm Shadow felt some of the tension that had been building inside of him release. He found himself chuckling as well.

It was the first time that he'd been able to laugh at his own mistakes, terrible as they had been.

* * *

_**Author's note:**__ The reference to Storm Shadow shooting a squirrel through a wall comes from Karama9's __Arashikage__._


	5. Trouble

**Ninja Walkabout**

_Chapter Five: Trouble_

_Canada_

Heavy winds ripped across the frozen landscape. A lone arctic hare dashed across the horizon with a fox in pursuit. Other than the two animals and the occasional lichen, the region was devoid of life. Save perhaps one.

It ambled across the barren rock, looking for prey. There was little food here in the tundra, especially the furless two legs that it liked so much. Its stomach felt as if it were stretched tight against its ribs. Hungry. It was so hungry. But there was no food here. There hadn't been for miles, if it had been capable of counting.

A faint scent of blood.

The creature paused and sniffed the air carefully. It recognized that scent. It was the smell of food, of blood and warm flesh. A head covered with thick, white fur scanned the horizon. The prey was far away, but not too far for one like it. After some searching, it discovered the direction the wonderful scent was blowing from. The scent of the furless two legs.

"Wendigo," it muttered. It was the only remnant of human speech left to it. One clawed foot stepped forward. Then the other. Like a moth to the flame, it followed after the delicious beacon of fresh blood.

"Wendigo. Wendigo…."

* * *

It was like dancing.

At least, it was like dancing with the exception that all of the participants had claws, swords, or fangs. Storm Shadow brought his sword up to block a strike from Victor Creed, but the feral mutant quickly readjusted his aim. The ninja barely avoided the set of claws that raked at his abdomen. He rolled back and attempted to put some distance between himself and his attacker. There was a fierce growl when Wolverine threw himself between the two men, having healed from his most recent wounds. Tommy felt the hair rise on the back of his neck as he watched them fight.

He'd seen many battles. They had all been brutal and bloody. However, they had all lacked the primitive ferocity and hatred that this one did. It was more like watching two alpha male wolves fight each other to the death.

The sword in his hand shimmered slightly with the early morning light, though it was by now dripping with red fluid. As the battle raged, the sun glinted up in the skies of northern Canada while crimson blood stained the formerly pristine snow. Some of it was his. Some belonged to Logan. The rest was from Sabretooth.

Tommy risked a glance up at a towering cliff. Michael Twoyoungmen stood watching the battle. He had waited with the other two men for Victor Creed to show his face. Once he had done so, the shaman had used his magic to teleport them all away from civilization. None of them had wanted civilians to become a potential target.

The effort seemed to have temporarily fatigued Shaman, who had been ordered by Logan to stay out of the fight. Storm Shadow had also been ordered to not get involved. That hadn't lasted long.

"Tommy, watch it!"

The ninja pivoted on his foot and leapt over their adversary. He took the tiny window of opportunity and shattered Victor Creed's collarbone. The blonde mutant roared and was on him an instant later. Claws dug into his flesh. Before the ninja could react, he was pinned to the ground.

"Cobra Commander said I had to take you back alive," the man grinned at him. "As long as you can be fixed up, he don't care how pretty you look." Storm Shadow heard a tiny pop as the heavier man's collarbone repaired itself.

"I'm always pretty," Storm Shadow replied flippantly, trying to slip out of the man's strong grip. He heard a _'snikt'_ as Wolverine stabbed a set of claws into Sabretooth's back. Logan wrapped an arm around Creed's throat and pushed the claws in deeper.

"Getting sloppy, Creed," Wolverine grunted. Victor Creed gave another feral grin before refocusing his attention on the other mutant. The ninja rolled away and tried not to wince from the new puncture wounds in his right thigh. Creed was much faster than one might think for a man of his weight and frame.

New blood splattered onto the snow while the two mutants ripped into each other. Both men had a higher pain tolerance than anyone Storm Shadow had ever met.

While he searched for a new opening to attack, he saw movement on the periphery of his vision. The ninja swiveled his head, but saw nothing but a barren landscape of tundra, snow, and rock. A shiver ran up his spine. He continued to watch, but nothing moved. Perhaps it had been nothing but an animal.

Tommy turned his attention back to the fight, but his instincts kept telling him that something was wrong. The ninja tried to convince himself that it was nothing more than Sabretooth, but then his ears picked up the very faint sound of shuffling and breathing. He swiveled his head again, but all he saw was snow.

"Storm Shadow, what the hell are you…"

Then he saw it…indistinct forms that blended into the snow. They appeared humanoid, though with a distinctly animal appearance. The creatures were hunched together in a group, watching the fight.

"Logan?" Storm Shadow shouted. "There's…"

Lightning flashed between him and the barely visible…whatever they were. An inhuman chorus of howls echoed over the Canadian landscape. The fight ground to an abrupt halt when Shaman floated down to join them. There was an expression of deadly seriousness on his face.

"Wendigos," Shaman told them. "It appears that we've drawn a small pack."

There was a low growl as both Wolverine and Sabretooth whipped around to stare at the newcomers. Both men sniffed the air and muttered several curses. They suddenly seemed much less concerned with killing each other.

"Son of a bitch," Wolverine muttered. "This ain't my day. I would have smelled them before, if I wasn't so busy with Creed."

"What are Wendigos?" Storm Shadow asked.

"They were once human," Shaman explained. The sorcerer continued to eye the creatures now advancing carefully on them. "There is a curse in these parts that was placed by the gods to discourage cannibalism. Any human that ingests human flesh in this region is turned into one of them."

Storm Shadow forced himself not to gag at the thought. He'd never believed in any such thing as curses and the abominable snowman. It looked as though he'd better start.

"Why are they here?" he asked. Victor Creed gave him a dry chuckle.

"Us, junior," he answered. "They're drawn by the scent of blood and flesh…and there's plenty here. They eat people." A dark expression crossed his face. There was a blur as the mutant reached out towards the sorcerer, but both Logan and Storm Shadow stepped between them.

"This ain't Shaman's fault," Logan growled. "I ain't gonna stop him if he turns you into a worm."

"He brought us here!" Victor Creed shouted, pointing at the shaman. "I should kill him!" Magical energy crackled around Michael Twoyoungmen, who appeared to have sufficiently recovered from his last spell. Sabretooth backed off slightly, but there was still a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"So…we can take them, right?" Storm Shadow asked, trying to draw attention to the fact that two more of these "Wendigos" had joined the pack. Considering the fact that they had a ninja, two mutants and a sorcerer, the odds seemed in their favor. However, Logan merely growled and shook his head.

"They're strong enough to go toe to toe with the Hulk," Wolverine explained. "Maybe if it was one or even two of them we could, but there's a whole damned pack. It looks like there's about seven of them."

"They ain't too bright though," Sabretooth added. There was a pause before he added with a wink. "Looks like I'm teaming up with you for the moment, runt." Wolverine whipped around and held up a set of claws to his enemy. The tall blonde merely continued to grin at him. Tommy saw a flash of fangs when he opened his mouth to give a violent smile.

"Only fer now, Creed," Logan growled. "I'm guttin' you after this."

"Oooo…I'm scared."

"Enough," Shaman interrupted. "We have enough trouble as it is. I'm still tired from the teleportation spell. I'll do what I can against them, but I can't deal with all of them."

"I oughta feed you to them, Shaman," Creed growled. "You could have taken us anywhere, but you picked northern Canada." Storm Shadow prepared to protect Michael Twoyoungmen if need be, but the tall mutant made no attempt to fight past Logan. Sabretooth seemed to understand that they needed the sorcerer's help, as much as he despised it.

"I picked a place that had no people for you to terrorize," Shaman told Victor Creed sharply. "Murderer that you are, you would have…"

"WENDIGO!"

The pack rushed them. Storm Shadow withdrew an arrow and took aim. The arrow bounced harmlessly off of one of the creatures and fell to the ground. Despite having fletchings made supposedly from the feathers of the goddess, they were remarkably ineffective. Tommy swore as he pulled out another arrow.

"Put that back, it won't do any good," Logan told him quickly. "Their hides are too damned thick. The only thing that will cut through it is adamantium."

Lovely. Note to self, acquire adamantium tipped arrowheads.

The ground shook as the pale monsters attacked them. Storm Shadow was loathe to discover that they had both inhumane speed and superhuman strength. Logan hadn't been joking when he'd compared them to the Hulk. The ninja stabbed one through its torso and sliced up. Even with the adamantium of his new sword, it was still a little difficult to cut. Blood spurted out, but the creature ignored it. It roared at him and swung the razor sharp claws of its other hand at him.

Tommy narrowly avoided both it and the other creature that had decided to gang up on him. As they circled him, he spotted Logan and Creed each fighting with another Wendigo while Shaman attacked the remaining three. Great, he was the one without _any _powers and he got stuck with two of the monsters.

The ninja sliced at the face of one monster while he slipped between the legs of the second. His quiver of arrows was ripped away as one of creatures attempted to slash open his back. Tommy rolled to his feet and discovered that the beast he had injured had since regrown an arm.

"Well….fuck," he swore.

"Wendigo!" one of them shouted. The other beast joined in, repeating the word as if it were a mantra. It took all of Storm Shadow's training to avoid their deadly speed. The ground cracked as one furry hand hit it with a thud, right where a certain ninja had been an instant before. _Right,_ he thought, _super strength…._

Second note to self, don't get eaten by furry, snow monsters shouting 'Wendigo.'

* * *

_Muir Island_

Billy sighed as he wandered the premises of Muir Island. He had been here over a day already, but hadn't managed to speak with any of the staff. Security was tight on the island, so he'd had to put in a request with one of the secretaries. One of the staff members, a man named James Madrox had promised to meet with him after lunch. They had fortunately allowed him to spend the night in the guest wing, but hadn't given him access to most of the facility.

He flopped down underneath the shade of a tree. William amused himself by making the tree grow a few feet. The young man plucked a few seeds off of the ground and pocketed them. His sensei had taught them that anything could be a potential weapon. As he was in unknown territory and on the run from Cobra, William was perhaps a bit justified in being paranoid.

The mutant suddenly sat up in a bolt. A gray wolf was peering at him from several yards away. While William wondered why there was a wolf running around on Muir Island, it shapeshifted into an adult woman. He felt rather stupid when he realized that she was a mutant.

"You have good senses," the woman said after she approached. She had short cropped hair and spoke with a Scottish brogue.

"I suppose," William answered. He hesitated before asking, "Who are you?"

"Rahn Sinclair, though you can call me Wolfsbane," she replied. "Multiple Man couldn't make it." _Multiple Man, _he thought, _who was…oh._ The young man suddenly realized that she was referring the James Madrox.

"Okay," Billy replied, not knowing what else to say. He self-consciously noted that the woman was eyeing his eyepatch and false leg. To his relief, she didn't remark on either of them. Instead, she asked him what his business was on the island.

"I'm looking for my teacher," William explained. "His name's Thomas Arashikage, but he goes by Storm Shadow. I'm told that he's with the X-Men."

The woman stared at him suspiciously. Billy didn't know how much to tell her, so he told a partial truth. He made no mention of his own past connection to Cobra or Cobra Commander. Instead, he told her that Storm Shadow was his foster father and that he'd been brainwashed by Cobra. Billy mentioned the fact that he'd been hiding out from Cobra with no word on Storm Shadow, but had gotten an anonymous tip that he was free.

"That's quite a story you're spinning, lad," Wolfsbane finally said. She was still eyeing him suspiciously. "I'll contact the X-Men, but I'm afraid that you still have restricted access to the facilities until after I speak with them. If Xavier confirms what you've said, I'll put you into contact with them."

"Thank you," Billy told her. It was the only thing he could do right now and frankly it was the best he could hope for. The woman gave him a polite nod before transforming back into a wolf. She loped off across the grass and disappeared around the corner of a large building. Billy gave another sigh.

His skin prickled slightly. Knowing from experience that he was being watched, Billy forced his body to stay relaxed. He wasn't a ninja by any means, but what training he'd had with Storm Shadow had been training well spent. Billy stood up and began to walk nonchalantly towards the south end of the island.

As he walked, he passed a young woman. She smiled politely to him and continued on her way. William imprinted details of her into his mind. Tall, dark skinned, violet eyes and a white lab coat. Had she been the one spying on him?

He continued his walk. Billy paused to stretch his muscles and look around him, pretending to be taking in the scenery. Nothing. Shrugging his shoulders, he cracked his neck and continued to walk. Perhaps he was just being paranoid. Regardless, it was good to be careful. From the moment he'd arrived on the island, William had mapped out the external layout and possible escape routes. Being on an island fifty miles away from the coast made him a little nervous, as it made it more difficult to escape if things went badly.

The young mutant spotted a set of picnic tables ahead of him. He'd noticed that the staff liked to take their breaks there. When he drew closer, William saw that two men were seated at one of the tables. Billy gave them a polite nod and sat at another one. He looked out into the ocean for several minutes and enjoyed the view. While he did so, he did his best to covertly study the two strangers.

Neither of the two men spoke. One had reddish-blonde hair while the other was a brunette. Both appeared to be in excellent physical condition, despite the fact that the red head was trying to slouch. Billy's neck prickled again, but he forced himself to stay relaxed. It was just two men enjoying the nice day, nothing more. Still, he should try to see get a good look at their faces.

"Nice day, isn't it?" he asked politely. The two men gave him a puzzled look. William nodded his head towards the ocean. "You guys have it good here."

"Sure do," the red head told him. "By the way, I haven't seen you before. You new here?"

"Yeah, just visiting," William told him. "I'm a mutant and I've wanted to come here for a while." He volunteered no other information. Instead, he politely inquired what the other two men did.

"I work here," Red Head explained. "My cousin here came to visit me. He's a mutant."

So they were cousins, or at least they claimed to be. William smiled at them and turned his attention back to the ocean. The three men continued their small talk until the red head finally excused himself. Billy very carefully kept all personal details of his life secret. When they asked about his powers, he simply said that he was good with plants. The brunette claimed to have the ability to breathe underwater.

After about another ten minutes of idle chitchat, Billy said goodbye to the other mutant. He hid a frown as he walked back inside to the guest quarters. There was something familiar about the red head's face. He couldn't recall where he'd seen it before, but Billy knew that he had. He wasn't about to chalk it up to déjà vu.

William sat cross-legged on his bed and attempted to meditate. However, his mind and body were too restless to stay still. After several more minutes, he finally gave up and rolled onto his back.

He didn't like it. The whole situation didn't sit well with him. William was uncomfortably aware that he was on a small island, fifty miles off the Scottish coast, with strangers. He frowned and attempted to push away the thought gnawing at him. It was entirely reasonable for him to be refused access to most of the research facility. However, Billy had been on the run for nearly his entire life. He didn't like not knowing what or who was behind closed doors.

Perhaps he should take a look.

William pushed the thought away. He wanted help getting into contact with the X-Men. If he was caught sneaking into restricted areas, he might very well be thrown off the island or taken into custody. The last thing he needed was for the Muir Island staff to think he had a hidden, ulterior motive.

Logic and reason told him he should stay put. Survival instincts and curiosity told him to conduct reconnaissance. After an inner war, Billy finally gave into his survival instincts. The fact that he couldn't place the red head's face continued to bother him and he still had an uncomfortable feeling that he was being watched.

Besides, if he was caught, he could just justify it as ninja training. More importantly than that, however, he should avoid getting caught in the first place. Billy sat up and opened his backpack. He had no idea if his room was bugged or not. Rather than possibly give himself away, he decided on another method.

Billy changed into a pair of black jogging sweats and a long sleeved shirt. He pulled out the small bag he took with him on jogs. On his way outside, the mutant stepped into the men's bathroom. Once there, he removed several knives from the bag and hid them on his body. His mutant powers should be sufficient, but old habits died hard…especially when those habits had been drilled into you by the Young Master.

He then went for an easy jog around the island. It was enough to clear his head and get his heart pumping. It also gave him another look of the island and made himself visible to whoever might be watching. William stopped near the northeast corner of the research facilities and pretended to take a water break. He conveniently angled himself near one of the entrances and waited for someone to go inside. About two minutes later, a dark haired man walked up to the entrance. William silently crept up behind him and waited. He watched the unknown man key in the numerical code and committed it to memory. When the doors opened, he slipped silently inside behind the man.

Now safely inside the compound, William kept to the shadows. He carefully made his way through the research facility and tried to be mindful of potential alarms. The ninja apprentice was successful for about an hour. After finding nothing of note, he accidentally tripped an alarm when he tried to enter the basement level.

* * *

_Canada_

"Seriously, you don't want to eat me," Storm Shadow grunted. "I'm a ninja, I'm sure I'd give you indigestion anyway." All joking aside, he wasn't faring that well. It was all he could do to avoid being ripped apart by the two Wendigos. At any other time it would gall him that he'd gone from the most dangerous entity in the room to just trying to keep up. Right now though, all Thomas Arashikage cared about was staying alive.

Adrenaline flooded his body and kept him moving. It wouldn't be so bad if the damned things didn't recover from physical trauma so quickly. Shaman and Wolverine had knocked a couple of the monsters unconscious while Victor Creed had torn one down to its spinal cord. The monsters had revived in a matter of minutes.

Tommy had managed to get a few good slices in, but he wasn't faring as well as the others. It was at times like this that the ninja wished that he had healing factor.

Claws tore open his left arm and Storm Shadow went down. Sharp teeth gnashed at him. Ignoring the pain, the ninja managed to insert a small smoke bomb into the monster's mouth without getting his good arm ripped off. The bomb exploded and the Wendigo backed off with a howl.

Tommy groaned as he rolled to his feet. He risked a glance at his injured arm. It was a bloody mess and looked as bad as it felt. The ninja grimaced and backed away from the Wendigo, who was still trying to get its bearings. His hunch had been correct. If the monsters' senses were enhanced enough to smell blood from miles away, then that was his opening. He might not be able to match them physically, but confusing them was another matter.

There was a snap as he stepped on the arrow he had shot earlier. Damn useless things. If only Shaman could have given him "magic" arrowheads instead of fletching.

Finally having recovered from the smoke bomb, the Wendigo snarled at him. It and the other Wendigo circled around the exhausted ninja. Pain ran through his body from both the Wendigo and Victor Creed inflicted wounds. Storm Shadow shoved it away.

He reached into his clothing and pulled out a couple of small bombs that he'd packed with a variety of scented powders. Normally he used them on dogs and the occasional human, but he had designed these particular ones with Sabretooth in mind. Tommy figured that what had initially been created to screw with the mutant's enhanced senses should work just as well on one of the Wendigo.

"Shaman!" He heard Logan yell. "We could really use some reinforcements! Can you get in touch with Alpha Flight?"

Storm Shadow didn't hear the shouted response, as he was too concerned with getting his timing right. One of the monsters shouted 'Wendigo' and lunged at him. Tommy threw one of the packets in front of it and leapfrogged over the white creature. There was a large pop as it detonated. The Wendigo howled as it inhaled the overpowering collection of scents, which was enough to make even a human gag.

The ninja planted a foot into the chest of the other Wendigo and smashed the second bomb into its face. Tommy leapt off of the furious monster and avoided the arms that began to swing wildly in an attempt to hit him. Temporarily blinded, the two Wendigos howled and flayed around with their claws. Taking advantage of his opening, the ninja sliced at the ankles of one of the monsters. It stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud that shook the earth slightly. Sensing the vibration, the other Wendigo turned in its direction. Smirking slightly, Tommy sliced open its chest before slipping behind it. He dropped to his hands, and using the ground as leverage, kicked up with all his might. Pain lanced up his wounded arm and it nearly gave out on him.

The Wendigo only stumbled forward a step, but it was enough that it ran into the other monster. It snarled and slashed at its companion. Within seconds, the two blinded monsters were ripping into each other. Pleased with himself, Storm Shadow threw another scented bomb into the mix of blood, fur, and muscle. Then he got the hell out of the way.

A piercing howl of pain echoed over the frozen battlefield. One of the two Wendigos had bitten into the throat of the other. Now in its death throes, the dying Wendigo continued to howl and thrash until it gradually grew silent. Tommy watched with wary expectation, expecting the surviving Wendigo to back off. Instead, it bent down and began to eat its fellow creature.

Trying not to gag in disgust, the ninja turned his head and looked around at the rest of the battle. The Wendigo battling Sabretooth abandoned the fight when it noticed that there was suddenly a free meal. Within seconds, the six surviving Wendigos were feasting on the dead one.

This time Tommy felt bile rise in his throat. He leaned forward and puked into the snow. Storm Shadow continued to retch for about a minute. A strong hand gripped his shoulder.

"Let it out, I know it ain't pretty," Wolverine told him. The ninja nodded and gagged a few more times before finally bringing the sudden bout of nausea under control. He turned around to look at the others and very carefully avoided looking at the feeding frenzy, even though his sensitive ears easily picked up the sounds of teeth chewing flesh.

"You did good," Logan said, handing him the bow and shredded quiver of arrows that he'd dropped earlier. Tommy took them gratefully.

"He's only bought us a little time," Sabretooth growled. However, there was a hint of respect in his eyes when he looked at the ninja. "They'll still be hungry. There're six of them and only one corpse."

"We can run," Shaman said. "It'll give us a head start at least." Sweat dripped down Michael Twoyoungmen's face. There was a long staff in his right hand, which he had been using to summon spirits earlier. The sorcerer watched the bloody scene with something like pity on his face.

"I feel sorry for them," the shaman said quietly. Storm Shadow gave him a surprised look. How could the man feel sorry for the Wendigo, when they had become the creatures in the first place because of an act of cannibalism?

"They ate human flesh," Tommy said flatly. "And they'll even eat one of their own kind as a Wendigo." However, Shaman shook his head and told him that a respect for all life meant including even the Wendigo.

"Everyone should get a chance," Shaman pleaded. All eyes looked at him.

"What're you suggesting, Michael?" Logan asked carefully. "We shouldn't even be standing around here and waiting for them to get done."

"I want to capture one," Michael Twoyoungmen explained. "Maybe I can find a cure." That suggestion immediately started an argument between him and Sabretooth, who seemed quite content to let the 'freaks of nature' be. Logan finally interrupted the fight and pointed back the Wendigos.

"They're almost done, which means we've gotta go," Wolverine said sharply. "I'm sorry Michael, but we don't have the means to capture one right now," he added, not unkindly. "We're all exhausted. I don't want to stay here any longer, not unless you managed to get through to someone in Alpha Flight."

Shaman's shoulders drooped slightly as he sighed. The ninja felt sorry for him. After all, the man was still a healer at heart, whether he did the said healing through medicine or magic. However, Tommy was in surprising agreement with Wolverine and Sabretooth. They had to go now. Even then they stood little chance. Healing factor apparently healed wounds, but it didn't fix fatigue even if it slowed it down. He himself was exhausted and needed medical attention.

Tommy finally looked back at the feasting Wendigos and saw with horror that they had reduced the dead one to nothing but a skeleton. As he watched, the creatures began to devour even the bones. A shiver ran down his spine and he felt himself gag again.

The sky suddenly lit up with a flash of green light. Tommy clapped his hands to his ears when the sound of something similar to thunder followed afterwards. It vibrated through his body and made his eardrums throb painfully. The air shimmered and a circle of green lightning flashed before disappearing. Tommy blinked and tried to ignore the spots dancing across his vision. The spots quickly faded. He was shocked to see that that all of the Wendigos were frozen in place, as if they were nothing more than realistic statues.

"What the hell was…" he started to ask. Sabretooth growled dangerously, but Wolverine merely chuckled. Storm Shadow took that as a good sign. He followed Logan's gaze to see what his friend had found so amusing.

A very odd looking man was floating in mid-air. His legs were crossed, as if he was sitting on the ground. Dressed in a dark blue tunic, he had raven black hair that was graying at the temples. A scarlet red cloak trimmed in gold flowed around him. The man looked around him before fixing his gaze on Shaman with a raised eyebrow.

"Honestly, Michael," the strange man said. "Couldn't you handle these creatures by yourself?"

"Seven Wendigos were a bit much for me," Shaman told the man. "Especially after I teleported all of us out here." The floating stranger rubbed his chin thoughtfully before looking over at the monsters he had so easily incapacitated.

"Um…" Tommy said. It wasn't the most intelligent thing he could have said, but he was damned confused. Wolverine grinned at him before nodding his head at the floating stranger.

"Tommy…I'd like you to meet Doctor Stephen Strange."

"Uh…nice to meet you," Storm Shadow said. "I'm Thomas Arashikage." He gave an awkward bow. The ninja had no idea who this man was, but somehow felt that he was important enough that he should know his name. Whoever this Doctor Strange was, it was obvious that he had come to pull all of their asses out of trouble.

"A pleasure," the tall man said politely. He studied the group briefly before shaking his head. Doctor Strange held out a hand towards Victor Creed. Storm Shadow tried not to gawk when the mutant was suddenly transformed into a two inch version of himself. The miniature Sabretooth floated angrily in the air and swore violently at the sorcerer.

"Would you like to keep him in your medicine bag, Shaman?" the man asked.

"No thanks," Michael Twoyoungmen answered. "I have too many things floating around in there and I'd rather that Creed not have access to any of them."

"What?" Storm Shadow asked, still trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. The newcomer ignored the confused ninja.

"Hmm…what shall we do with him then?" Stephen Strange asked. "I know Wolverine's answer, but I'd rather avoid murder today."

"It ain't murder if he's a murderer," Wolverine snarled. The mutant seemed less than pleased that he hadn't been the one to take out Sabretooth. Logan growled under his breath before apparently making peace with the situation.

"Fine," Wolverine snapped. "But he's going into custody."

"I wasn't planning otherwise," Stephen Strange answered. "Shall I take him to the Avengers and let them deal with him?" Wolverine grumbled slightly before nodding his head. The miniature Victor Creed vanished with a 'poof'.

"What?" Tommy asked again.

"He's in a dimensional void at the moment," Doctor Strange explained. "It's not unlike Shaman's medicine pouch. I'll let him out later." Tommy was about to ask 'what' for a third time, but Wolverine gave him a knowing look and stopped him.

"He's a sorcerer," Wolverine told him. "Just let it be. I don't understand most of it either."

Storm Shadow was about to ask what they were going to do now when his vision suddenly blurred. Now that his adrenaline was gone, the pain and fatigue that he'd been ignoring finally caught up to him. His legs buckled slightly underneath of him. It became all he could do to not fall on his face.

"He needs medical attention," Logan said. "Strange, can you take us back to New York?"

"Errol…" Storm Shadow muttered, starting to feel woozier from the loss of blood. He had left the raccoon at Shaman's place. They had locked him in a cage so that he wouldn't get into trouble. There was no way he was going to leave his new pet like that.

"Don't worry about the damned raccoon," Wolverine told him. "He'll be fine."

"Shall I stop at Shaman's place first?" Doctor Strange asked. "If it will set his mind at ease, I don't mind it." Tommy was about to ask how the man knew where Errol was when there was a sudden flash of green light. The disoriented ninja realized with a start that they were back in Shaman's house.

"_What?_" he asked again, not able to stop himself. Storm Shadow tried not to gape at the tall man standing smugly near him. Shaman had become exhausted after just one teleportation, which he'd had to prepare and recite spells for. Stephen Strange didn't look the least bit exhausted after doing the same feat with no visible preparation.

His knees buckled again and Logan held him upright. The mutant whipped his head around to glare at their rescuer.

"Can't you do anything to heal him?" Wolverine asked. "You're the most powerful sorcerer in this realm."

"I've already stopped the bleeding," the man stated matter-of-factly. "You just didn't notice. As for the rest of it, it's better to have the body naturally heal itself than to use magic. I was a surgeon at one point, you know."

_Huh_, Tommy thought. _What is it with doctors deciding to learn magic?_ His vision blurred again. As he tried not to pass out, the ninja felt that the Sabretooth affair had ended rather anticlimactically. Tommy looked around for Shaman, who had somehow left them without his realization.

"Those arrows of yours," Doctor Strange suddenly said, breaking the silence. "May I see them?"

Not really in any condition to do otherwise, Tommy simply nodded. The sorcerer examined the feather fletchings with curiosity before giving them back to the ninja. Storm Shadow leaned heavily against Logan while they waited for Shaman to finish gathering up their belongings.

"They didn't do much," Storm Shadow slurred. His vision blurred again. Logan's grip around him tightened.

"Hurry it up, Michael!" Logan shouted. The shaman rejoined them moments later. A couple of bags were stuffed under his arm while a very irritated raccoon chastised everyone from the confines of his cage. Seconds later, they were standing in an unfamiliar building.

Tommy was immediately rushed down to the Avengers' medical facilities. A doctor named Donald Blake entered the infirmary a few seconds after Logan and began to treat his wounds. The ninja took the moment to rest his eyes and doze slightly.

* * *

_The Avengers Tower_

The concerned Wolverine watched as his companion's wounds were treated. After a moment, he looked to his right to see that Doctor Strange was still with him.

"Thanks," he grunted. The sorcerer acknowledged him with a nod. Logan wasn't too happy that he hadn't killed Creed. However, the man was in custody for the moment and Storm Shadow was getting the medical care that he'd desperately needed. Wolverine was pretty sure that the ninja hadn't realized how bad his injuries were. A normal man wouldn't have been able to ignore them and keep pushing.

"Why didn't the arrows work?" Logan asked. From what he understood, the arrow fletchings were supposedly made from a goddess's feathers.

"The Wendigo are cursed creatures," Doctor Strange explained. "Cursed by gods. While the feathers themselves are nearly indestructible and will undoubtedly ensure a long flight, they couldn't penetrate the creatures."

"I suppose I should get him some adamantium arrowheads," Logan muttered. He gave a sideways glance at the sorcerer. "Unless you've got something he could use."

"Nothing that I would give to just anyone," Doctor Strange told him sternly. "I do have some Asgardian metal, but Odin doesn't know that I have it…and I'd rather it stay that way."

"Fair enough," Logan answered. "I don't suppose you could at least give us a lift to Scotland, could you?"

"Unfortunately, I have pressing business elsewhere," Doctor Strange told him.

The sorcerer bowed slightly to the mutant before vanishing from sight. Wolverine sighed and returned to watching the ninja. Sorcerers were a strange lot. They appeared when you didn't expect them and never quite did what they were asked. Still…they made useful allies.

* * *

_Muir Island_

Billy glowered silently as he followed the mutant known as Multiple Man. Flanked around him were three duplicates of the man, who watched his every movement. The young mutant at least knew why James Madrox went by that codename now. It was perhaps irony that the man who had unwittingly let him into the research facility had been one of Madrox's duplicates.

"I'm not a spy," he repeated. William pointed out that he hadn't even tried to fight or get away when he'd been caught. Okay, he had sort of tried to get away, but that had failed. The point was he wasn't an enemy spy.

"You expect us to believe that?" one of the men asked.

"I'm on the run from Cobra," William said. "I came to you for help. It's not my fault that being trapped on island with strangers makes me edgy."

"I can assure you that there's no one from Cobra here," One of the Multiple Men told him. William had no idea which one was the original. The leader of the group swung around to glare at him.

"Cobra killed Moira MacTaggert," the man told him angrily. "She was not only my boss, she was my friend. I wouldn't side with Cobra even if the world was ending."

"I'm sorry," Billy said after a moment. He then reminded the man that even if he didn't support Cobra, that didn't necessarily go for everyone on the island. James Madrox didn't take kindly to that. One of the duplicates grabbed him by the collar. Out of reflex, Billy slipped out of the grip. Another of the duplicates grabbed his arms. The young mutant forced himself not to resist. After all, he was trying to prove that he wasn't a threat.

"I said I'm sorry," William repeated, looking at the identical men. "What else do you want?" The duplicates looked at each other for a moment before one of them answered him.

"Storm Shadow was part of the Cobra operation that killed Moira and he tried to kill Hank McCoy…don't think that we've forgotten that," Multiple Man told him angrily. "Xavier said that he was under mind control, but that still doesn't change what happened." William felt his breath catch a split second. He hadn't known about that. All the mysterious message had said was that Tommy was free.

"Storm Shadow…the real Storm Shadow," William told him, "Would never willingly do that. I can assure you it was mind control. I know…Cobra had me under its control as well. I managed to escape with help, but I wasn't able to help him." There, he'd admitted it. The young mutant warily watched the other man, who continued glare at him. After several seconds, one of them snapped his fingers. Three of the duplicates disappeared, leaving just one James Madrox.

"I still don't trust you," the man said. "But Xavier seems to want to give you the benefit of the doubt."

"Xavier?" Billy asked.

"Charles Xavier. He wants to speak with you."

Perking up, the young man followed impatiently after the still irked Multiple Man. The two of them finally arrive in a large room filled with computers and several large, flat computer screens. Multiple Man sat in a chair and contacted the X-Men. Billy pushed down a wave of nervousness. He was actually going to talk to _Professor Charles Xavier_, the leader of the mutant rights movement. The young man fidgeted slightly and unconsciously smoothed his shirt. He was still dressed in a simple shirt and jogging sweats, hardly the attire he would have picked for his first meeting.

The recognizable face of a bald man appeared on one of the large screens. Billy forced himself to appear calm, even though he wanted to stare in awe. Instead, he gave a polite bow to the image in front of him.

"Professor Xavier, it is an honor to meet you," William said formally. A smile crossed the other man's face.

"William, the honor is mine," Charles Xavier told him. He had a strong and elegant voice, William thought. There was something very reassuring about it.

"He broke into the labs," Multiple Man complained sourly. The man related what happened. Billy interrupted a few times to give _his_ version of events. The two of them nearly descended into bickering, but Charles Xavier interrupted them with a strong rebuke. Both of them shut up immediately. William inwardly cringed that he'd already managed to give a bad impression of himself. To his surprise, however, the leader of the X-Men only seemed amused.

"He was trained by a ninja, James," Xavier chuckled. "And he's been on the run from Cobra. I don't blame him for disobeying orders, even if there was no real reason for it." William nearly corrected the man, as he was still certain that he'd been spied on. However, he didn't really want to be called paranoid.

"Where's Tommy?" Billy asked instead. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Xavier told him. "He's…on a trip with Wolverine. They should be back shortly. I'll try to get word to him that you've been found. Thomas has been very worried about you." Billy gave a sigh of relief. He listened quietly as the professor told him how they'd come into contact with Storm Shadow. Multiple Man scowled slightly when Xavier related the death of Moira MacTaggert and Tommy's subsequent stay with the X-Men.

"Thank you," William said when he was done. There was a sudden peaceful feeling in his heart. It was as if all the tension that he'd been carrying around for years finally left him. His mentor really was free.

"I'll send someone to come pick you up tomorrow," Charles Xavier told him. "I think Thomas will be very happy to see your face when he gets back." William smiled at that. He couldn't wait to see the look on his mentor's face, especially when Storm Shadow learned that his former student was now taller than him. At least, Billy was reasonably sure that he was taller now.

"I look forward to it," Billy said. "I'll see you tomorrow." Charles Xavier nodded and said goodbye. The computer screen went blank as the professor signed off. William sat for several moments lost in his thoughts. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he could stop hiding.

"Hmph," Multiple Man said. "At least I only have to put up with you until tomorrow."

William shot him a glare. The other mutant seemed determined to dislike him. It wasn't fair, as he hadn't done anything other than have been an unfortunate victim of Cobra. Storm Shadow also hadn't tried to kill Henry McCoy on purpose. Billy didn't understand why the other man refused to realize that.

If Madrox hated him this much now, who knew how he'd react if he knew that Cobra Commander was his father?

He was half tempted to start a fight with Madrox, but William held himself back. He was an adult now and had to act like it. Losing his temper was too reminiscent of his father. William recoiled from the thought of acting anything like the man. Physically resembling his father was bad enough.

"Do I get to see the rest of the island now?" William asked instead. Multiple Man shook his head. Billy shrugged. It had been worth a try. He gritted his teeth when Madrox created several new duplicates and had them escort him out of the research area. When one of them followed him to the cafeteria, William snapped at him. After all, he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Stop following me!" he finally shouted. "I'm not a criminal! Isn't it enough that Professor Xavier trusts me?"

"I won't trust Xavier's opinion until after he scans you," Multiple Man replied. "I love the guy, but he's too trusting sometimes." The man crossed his arms and glared at him.

William felt his face redden. The argument escalated until one of the staff members tried to intervene. He was increasingly tempted to beat the hell out of Madrox, but the man would probably play the victim card. Billy finally spun around on his heels and walked in the other direction. He wasn't going to do what his father might do. He was going to be the bigger man and avoid a fight.

The young mutant sat at an empty table and fumed silently. He was joined a few minutes later by the female mutant that he'd met earlier that day. Wolfsbane studied him for a moment before sighing.

"Please forgive Jamie," she finally said. "Moira's death…well…we're all still dealing with it."

"Storm Shadow was being controlled," William said quietly. "He didn't have a choice."

"I know lad," Wolfsbane replied. "But right now, the wounds are still too fresh."

William calmed down. Getting angry wouldn't solve anything. Tommy was free and he was going to meet the X-Men tomorrow. He couldn't have asked for anything more. After a while, Billy finally cracked a smile. He wasn't going to let Multiple Man ruin his mood.

Just as William was starting to relax, the power suddenly went out. Wolfsbane reassured him that it was nothing when he asked. She told him that something must have shorted out and that the backup power would kick in soon. However, the power didn't come back on.

Billy became increasingly edgier and he could tell that his companion was as well. When his ears heard the soft click of a semi-automatic rifle, William knew he was in trouble.

* * *

_The Avengers Tower_

Tommy groaned slightly as he waited for the painkillers to kick in. He stared up at the sterile, white ceiling of the Avengers' medical facility. He briefly wondered why doctors could never pick more cheerful colors before realizing that if they were cheerful, he'd hate the colors for being cheerful. The ninja sighed and reached over to pet the raccoon curled up contently next to him. What a day. He couldn't wait to tell Snake Eyes about it. Tommy doubted that his sword brother would believe any of it.

"Is he okay?" a voice asked. The ninja peered out of the corner of his eyes to see Lady Jaye and Iceberg peeking into the room. Tommy yawned and wondered why there were Joes in the Avengers Tower. After a moment, he vaguely remembered being told about Hawk quartering Joes with the Avengers. The painkillers were starting to kick in, which he welcomed for once. The post-adrenaline rush was catching up to him and Storm Shadow felt as if he could sleep for a month. However, he didn't have a month. As soon as he rested a little bit, he was going to Scotland to find Billy.

"He'll be fine," a different voice said. The doctor who had treated him leaned on his cane and attempted to shoo the curious Joes out of the infirmary. When he failed to do so, an irritated Logan bellowed at them. The two Joes scrammed. Tommy chuckled as he closed his eyes. The doctor, who had identified himself as Donald Blake, was hardly an intimidating figure.

"As for you," Donald Blake said, turning to look at the ninja. "You stay put and sleep." The doctor seemed irked that the Joes had ignored him, but had immediately obeyed Wolverine. Storm Shadow grinned slyly. He'd obey for now. After he got a little sleep, he'd escape the infirmary just to spite the doctor.

"Logan, can I talk to you for a moment?" someone asked.

Tommy was nodding off when his friend left his side. He had no idea who had called Logan's name. If he had been more awake, he would have noticed the Avengers' resident archer. Nearly asleep, the ninja didn't understand the string of words between Hawkeye and Wolverine. However, his subconscious wondered why Logan's voice kept elevating, until a single name woke him up.

"The X-Men immediately lost contact with Muir Island after Xavier spoke with Billy," Hawkeye replied apologetically. "We've tried to get a hold of someone, but it's as if the island's gone completely dead. I think Xavier's going to send a team over there."

Storm Shadow sat up in bed and stared at the arguing duo. Logan seemed irritated that he was only now learning that Billy had been found. According Hawkeye, it hadn't even been two hours since Charles Xavier had spoken with Billy. They had lost complete contact with the Muir Island research facility about fifty minutes later.

The ninja threw off his blankets and jumped off the bed. He nearly lost his balance, but the determined Tommy began to make his way to the door. Donald Blake shouted a warning and tried to block him off. Storm Shadow pushed him out of the way, but was immediately restrained by Wolverine and Hawkeye.

"Let go," Tommy warned. "If something's happened to Billy, I have to go!"

"You're in no shape to fight," Wolverine reprimanded him. "We'll send some people to check it out."

"I'm going," the ninja repeated firmly. He slipped out of Hawkeye's grip and struck a cluster of nerves in the man's neck. The Avenger collapsed on the floor. Wolverine sighed heavily before he pinned the increasingly agitated ninja against the wall.

"Sorry about this," Logan apologized.

The ninja felt a prick in his arm as someone inserted a needle. Tommy was about to cuss out whomever had drugged him, but then he lost consciousness. His body sagged in Wolverine's arms. The mutant lifted him up and carried him back to the infirmary bed. When Tommy woke up several hours later, he was strapped to the bed and Wolverine was gone.

* * *

_Author's notes:_

_The Sabretooth battle ended up being of lesser significance than I'd originally planned, so I apologize if people were expecting more. The original plan was for the Sabretooth and Wendigo battles to be separate and to have our boys run into the furry monsters when they made a 'house call' to a Cobra munitions factory. However, I combined the two fights in order to get our heroes to Scotland quicker. The time is quickly approaching when they have to rejoin the main story. Also, now that Tommy knows Billy's general location, I couldn't see him making a detour to fight Cobra, even if it would have tempted him. His first priority would have been to find Billy. Don't worry though, I'll do more with Sabretooth later…if not in "Silence", then in a separate short story._

_I suppose the appearance of Doctor Strange was a little convenient for the plot. Magic is a faster way to travel than through commercial airlines. Truthfully, I've wanted to give Doc Strange a cameo from almost the beginning, but he was originally supposed to appear in "Silence". I couldn't work it into the plot (as interesting as it would have been for Beach Head to see real "hocus pocus"). I decided that the Sorcerer Supreme should go save Storm Shadow, Wolverine, and Shaman's asses instead. I know Doctor Strange just as easily could have taken Sabretooth to the X-Men. I have two rationales for why he chose the Avengers. The first is that he probably associates with the Avengers more (being himself a member of the New Avengers in the comics). The second is purely personal fanservice. I don't like Hawkeye and I wanted an excuse for him to get knocked out by Storm Shadow._


	6. Muir Island

_*Special thanks to the twitter gang, who give me comments on plot ideas, as well as the occasional suggestion._

**Ninja Walkabout**

_Chapter Six: Muir Island_

_The Avengers' Tower_

The Avengers' Tower was in an uproar and it was all one man's fault. Storm Shadow would later, of course, plead innocence to it all. His student and foster son was in trouble and his friend and companion, Wolverine, had decided to act protective by forcibly leaving the ninja behind. Thomas Arashikage planned to give the older man a piece of his mind when they met up again.

The restraints strapping him to the bed had been laughably easy to escape from. Tommy had nearly taken it as a bit of an insult that the mighty Avengers had failed to keep one single ninja strapped to a bed. It had taken him less than a minute upon regaining consciousness to wriggle out of them.

Storm Shadow's sensitive ears picked up the faint sound of footsteps running down the hall. He silently melted into the shadows and waited. Nearly thirty seconds later, two Joes and one very irked Avenger raced around a corner. Not noticing the hidden ninja, Hawkeye, Lady Jaye, and Torpedo ran several yards past him before coming to a halt.

"Where the hell is he?" Hawkeye snapped. The purple garbed archer seemed rather livid over the whole situation. Storm Shadow supposed after a moment that he'd bruised the man's ego when he'd knocked him out earlier. Still, there wasn't any real reason for him to be upset. Much.

"He's a ninja," Lady Jaye pointed out calmly. "Unless you've got any hidden superpowers you haven't told us about, we're not going to find him unless he wants us to find him."

"I don't have any powers," Hawkeye replied. "But that doesn't matter. He took me by surprise before, it won't happen again. Besides, Tony's security system said that he's down here in this area."

Tommy nearly snorted at that. Hawkeye was seriously overestimating himself if he thought he could take a ninja. Storm Shadow was secretly pleased when both Lady Jaye and Torpedo snickered ever so slightly and informed the Avenger that he had no chance of taking down a ninja. That piece of news didn't seem to please the Avengers' archer.

"How can you guys be so calm about this?" Hawkeye asked them. "Storm Shadow could…"

"He hasn't done anything wrong yet," Lady Jaye informed him. "Hawk, Charles Xavier, and Snake Eyes all vouch for him and said that he'd been under mind control before. Even Beach Head seems willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Storm Shadow hasn't hurt anyone yet and I can't blame him for being upset about Billy…."

"Logan left him behind for a reason," the Avenger shot back. "And he knocked Dr. Blake out!"

Uh…yeah, Tommy did kind of regret that. Knocking out crippled doctors, especially ones that had treated his wounds, wasn't exactly something a ninja bragged about. To his credit, however, he _had_ given the doctor a choice.

_Storm Shadow slipped behind the Avengers' doctor and placed a hand over the man's mouth. He easily took the doctor's cane to prevent the man from attempting to escape or trying to beat him with it. Not, of course, that Donald Blake would have done him any injury, but Tommy would be the first to admit that he wasn't exactly in one hundred percent health at the moment. Victor Creed and the Wendigos had left their mark on him._

"_I'm not going to hurt you," the ninja assured him quietly. Donald Blake struggled against the ninja holding him captive. "My student is at Muir Island right now and I need to help him. I'm sure that Logan's told you guys to keep me here, but he's not always right." Blake eyed him out of the corner of his eyes. The man's eyes flickered repeatedly down to the cane in the ninja's hands. Storm Shadow knew that Blake had no chance of getting it back, but he held the cane behind his back as a message: 'I'm in control right now. Behave.'_

"_I'm thankful, I really am," Storm Shadow told him. "I've got no quarrel with you or any of the Avengers. I just want to get to Muir Island to help Billy." The ninja carefully removed his hand from the other man's mouth. He waited warily for Donald Blake to shout for help, but the man didn't. Instead, the doctor gave him a scowl._

"_You're in no condition to go anywhere," Donald Blake admonished him. "I understand that you want to help and I sympathize, but Logan was right to leave you behind."_

"_I'm going," Storm Shadow said firmly. "No one's going to stop me. All I'm asking is help getting there."_

"_The answer is no," Blake responded calmly. "I'm a doctor. I can't let you go. It would be a failure of my duty to do so. Now GIVE me back my cane." Was that a touch of arrogance in the man's voice? Donald Blake seemed awfully concerned about his cane. The ninja had no idea why. Blake didn't stand a chance against him in a fight and Tommy wasn't so low as to break a crippled man's cane._

"_Give me my cane back," Blake repeated. Storm Shadow felt slightly offended now. He'd already told the doctor that he meant him no harm._

"_So you can try to hit me with it and embarrass yourself? Sorry," Storm Shadow apologized. The other man gritted his teeth and suddenly looked very irritated. Blake muttered something under his breath. It didn't sound English, but Tommy recognized curse words when he heard them. He wondered what language it was._

_Well then, so much for trying to reason logically. Tommy apologized again, as the doctor wasn't his enemy. Donald Blake looked slightly embarrassed when Storm Shadow informed him that he would be unconscious for a while. The ninja assured him that there would be no bruises or lasting damage, but that didn't seem to make the man feel any better. Seconds later, Storm Shadow carefully placed the unconscious doctor underneath an infirmary bed. As a courtesy, he made sure that the cane was within arm's reach._

Tommy had been making his way through what appeared to be a library when the alarms went off. The ninja hadn't been sure who sounded it, but he'd been hoping that he'd have more time to find someone to reason with. He could possibly borrow an aircraft from the hangar that had to be around somewhere (such had been his original intent), but Storm Shadow wasn't one hundred percent confident that he could fly something that had probably been designed by Tony Stark.

That left option number two: attempt to gain sympathy for his cause. The Arashikage ninja silently moved out of his hiding spot. He debated on how to best announce his presence. Storm Shadow's lips twitched as he slipped behind Hawkeye, who was still arguing with Lady Jaye. While it was true that the situation was dire, Thomas Arashikage could not resist amusing himself at the expense of his fellow archer. Nimble ninja fingers dipped into the quiver of an oblivious Hawkeye and pulled one arrow out after another.

"Look, I sympathize with the guy too," the Avenger said, not noticing the thieving ninja behind him. "But come on, did you even see his wounds? The X-Men sent their Blue Team to Muir Island. That should be more than enough to deal with any problems there."

"Uh huh," Lady Jaye murmured, having noticed the white wraith cheerfully pulling arrows out of Hawkeye's quiver. She seemed torn between warning Hawkeye and laughing her ass off. Always a showman at heart, Tommy cheerfully flipped one of the man's arrows up into the air and caught it. A snort escaped the female Joe's lips while Torpedo, who finally noticed the ninja, jumped in surprise. Hawkeye's body went very still.

"What's so funny?" he asked carefully. Storm Shadow put a finger to his lip and pulled out the rest of Hawkeye's arrows with one more swipe. Deciding to be even more of a tease, the ninja picked one of the sharper arrows (were the others trick arrows? Seriously?) and lightly touched it to the back of the Avenger's neck.

Hawkeye swung around and aimed a punch at the grinning ninja. His antagonist easily avoided the swipe. The Avenger glared hotly at the ninja. His glare froze when he noticed the arrows that Storm Shadow was nonchalantly inspecting in his hands. Hawkeye reached back into his quiver and discovered that every single arrow was missing.

"God fucking dammit!" the man swore loudly. Tommy easily balanced an arrow on the tip of each finger. He'd like to see Nightcrawler outdo this next performance. The ninja flicked his fingers out and sent the arrows flying. His left hand shot out and deftly caught each one. Hawkeye gaped when the injured ninja was suddenly behind him again.

Storm Shadow slipped the arrows back into the man's quiver. He stepped back and gave a bow.

Hawkeye, however, didn't seem amused by the ninja's performance. His face turned bright red against the purple of his costume. The Avenger's lips contorted slightly before he finally launched into a string of curses. Oh dear, but the man _did_ have a potty mouth.

"If I'm well enough to do that, I think I'm well enough to fight," Storm Shadow told him dryly. "Any of you fancy giving me a lift to Muir Island?"

"In your dreams," Hawkeye seethed. The man's fingers flexed. As an archer himself, Tommy knew that the man was sorely tempted to shoot an arrow at him. However, Hawkeye was skilled enough to know that he was at too close of a range.

"Well if that's the case…" Tommy started. He was interrupted when Lady Jaye stepped between the two of them.

"Storm Shadow, we'd like to help you," she said. Hawkeye gave a derisive snort. The female Joe ignored him as she continued. "But the X-Men's team should be enough. You should…"

"No, I'm going," Storm Shadow said firmly. "Logan shouldn't have left me behind like I'm some child that needs pandering. Billy's in danger. For all we know, Cobra is behind the blackout at the island. They were responsible for killing McTaggert and siccing me after Beast." He paused suddenly when a new sound reached his ears. A strange, tiny human heartbeat pounded near him. His sensitive ears also heard someone breathing in and out. A quick survey of his surrounding, however, revealed no one else besides Hawkeye, Lady Jaye, and Torpedo.

"You're injured," Hawkeye repeated flatly, drawing his attention again. "I promised Wolverine that we'd look after you." Storm Shadow whirled on the other man, temporarily forgetting about the strange heartbeat. Refusing to back down, the Avenger crossed his arms and continued to glare at him. Oh yeah, the ninja had definitely hurt the man's pride.

"So I am," Tommy admitted, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "But that's never stopped me before."

"Threatening me's not helping your position," Hawkeye rebutted. Tommy gritted his teeth and looked back at Lady Jaye and Torpedo. If the Avengers refused to cooperate, maybe the Joes would help. Last case scenario, he'd just steal a plane and hope for the best.

He was again distracted by the tiny heartbeat, which seemed to have moved closer to him. What the hell…

"Okay, whoever is hiding, I know you're there," Storm Shadow finally said. "I can hear your heartbeat _and_ you breathing." Seeing as he was in the Avengers' Tower, the ninja figured that it must be a mutant if he or she had managed to stay hidden. Tommy was the furthest thing from a mutant hating bigot, but he was getting rather tired of continuously getting outdone by people with superhuman abilities.

"Wow, you can hear my _heartbeat_?" A tiny voice asked. Storm Shadow froze ever so slightly when he finally noticed the ant sized man hiding in his belt. The ninja did a very believable impression of _not gaping_ when the tiny man jumped out of his belt and grew into a normal sized human male. The strange man was dressed in red spandex and wore a helmet over his head.

Tommy so did not glower at the newest Avenger. Fucking superpowers.

"You heard him?" Hawkeye gaped. "Are you a mutant or something? Only Wolverine and Black Panther have ever heard him."

"Ninja trade secret," Storm Shadow shrugged. He eyed the formerly tiny man, who now grinned and stuck a hand out to him. Tommy reached out and shook it.

"I'm Ant Man," the Avenger said. "Also known as Dr. Hank Pym. I'm a scientist." Hmm, the name sounded vaguely familiar. However, Storm Shadow wasn't in the mood to dig through his considerably messed up memories to figure out where he'd heard of Pym before. Since Ant Man seemed much friendlier than Hawkeye, the ninja decided to turn his considerable charm on the scientist in the hopes of getting his help.

"You seem much more reasonable than Sparrow Eyes here," Storm Shadow told him, indicating Hawkeye with a tilt of his head. If it was possible, the red of the man's face deepened a shade. Mr. Purple really needed to work on his temper.

"Hawkeye," the archer said through gritted teeth. "And you can't expect me to help after you keep insulting…"

"He's a ninja," Lady Jaye shrugged. "I don't know Storm Shadow that well, but all of the other ninja in GI Joe like to antagonize people. I don't know if it's a ninja thing or just an Arashikage thing."

"Both," Tommy smirked. His face grew serious after he regarded the small group gathered around him. Antagonizing Hawkeye was fun, but he needed to get moving. If Cobra was after Billy, then time was of the essence. Storm Shadow trusted Wolverine and the X-Men completely, but he wasn't going to sit this out. Not when Billy was involved.

"Please," the ninja pleaded, looking at Ant Man. "I don't want to waste any more time. I know what Logan said, but I don't agree with it. Billy's…..he's like a son to me. You can't expect me to sit this out."

Hank Pym studied him for a long moment. The ninja waited impatiently for his response. While Ant Man thought it over, Tommy's sensitive ears picked up the by now familiar shuffle of a man walking with a cane. Huh. Blake had woken up a lot sooner than he'd expected. Then again, it had been over an hour now since he'd knocked the doctor out.

"You okay, Donald?" Hawkeye asked, looking over at the doctor. Donald Blake groaned slightly, but nodded his head. Storm Shadow did his best to look positively innocent as the doctor limped up to him. The ninja was a little surprised that the man looked more amused than irked.

"You surprised me," the doctor said. "Now it's time to return the favor." There was an odd twinkle in his eyes. Storm Shadow raised an eyebrow when Blake tapped his cane into the ground a few times. He nearly took a step back when a strange looking light enveloped the scrawny doctor. The man's body morphed into a _very _tall and broad looking Norse warrior. The cane in his hands magically changed into a hammer.

"Yee will find it much more difficult to get a drop on me now, mortal," Thor Odinson told him cheerfully. Thomas Arashikage closed his eyes and opened them again. It appeared to be no illusion. The Norse god of thunder really was standing in front of him and he was as physically imposing in person as he appeared in the media photographs.

Fucking hell, he'd knocked out Thor. Tommy blinked his eyes again. He knocked out Thor. He knocked out…

A feeling of great smugness washed over him. He'd knocked a _god_ unconscious. Storm Shadow didn't care that Thor had technically been human at the time, he'd still done it. Hah! He got the drop on Thor! Storm Shadow no longer felt guilty for knocking a crippled doctor unconscious.

"I expect it would be more difficult," Storm Shadow told him with equal cheerfulness. "But it sounds like an interesting challenge. However, I don't have time for it now."

"Alas," Thor nodded. "Thy need at this hour is great. We should not delay thee."

"Weren't you against me going before?" Storm Shadow asked curiously. He was still trying to wrap his brain around the fact that Thor and Donald Blake were the same person. Tommy made a mental note to ask the Norse god about that later. He suspected that there was an interesting story behind it.

"Aye," the Asgardian admitted. "However, there are times that injuries of the flesh must be ignored, especially when the safety of loved ones are involved." Thor bowed his head slightly before holding his mighty hammer in front of his chest.

"I swear upon Mjolnir that I, Thor Odinson, shall do all that I can to assist thee in thy noble quest."

Tommy nearly smirked at the man's formality and drama. However, he himself was not unfamiliar with it, as ninja clans also operated on formality, drama, and blood oaths. Storm Shadow bowed respectfully to the Asgardian. If he wanted the man's help, he needed to play his game and show equal respect.

"I accept your offer of aid, Warrior," Storm Shadow told him. "One day, the Arashikage clan shall return the favor." Thor positively beamed at him at that those words. Tommy was quite proud of himself for having judged the man well.

"Then let us do battle together this day, Arashikageson," Thor told him, holding Mjolnir high above his head. "Thy sword and my hammer shall slay many enemies this day." Storm Shadow nodded his head, showing appropriate awe and respect for the Asgardian's oath. He made a mental note to research the Norse gods later. This one was proving to be a lot of fun.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Hawkeye interrupted, stepping between them. Storm Shadow felt his irritation grow. How dare the man interrupt them? Sparrow Head was proving to be a rather rude individual. Storm Shadow contemplated knocking the man out again, but he didn't want to risk losing Thor's help. One look at the Asgardian, however, showed that the taller man looked equally annoyed, as well as perplexed.

"What reason have thee to interrupt, Hawkeye?" Thor asked. There was a touch of anger to his voice. Storm Shadow found himself liking the Asgardian even more.

"Reason?" Hawkeye asked. "I don't know, how about the fact that he's full of nice, little claw wounds and a couple broken ribs?"

"You're not going to stop me," Storm Shadow told him calmly. His mind raced for an immediate solution and easily found one. It would, of course, involve wounding the man's pride again. Then again, as far as the ninja was concerned at the moment, Hawkeye deserved it.

"You and me," Tommy said, pointing at the Avenger. "How about a little archery contest to prove that I'm well enough to fight? If you beat me," as if that would happen, "I'll stay here," Storm Shadow added. He very nonchalantly examined his fingers while he waited for Hawkeye's response. He didn't have to wait long to get the answer he expected.

"Deal!"

"You agree to an archery contest?" Storm Shadow repeated. "And you'll agree to let me go wh…if I win?"

"Hah," Hawkeye replied, crossing his arms with a huff. Yep, his pride was hurting. "If you can beat me, I'll _personally_ fly you to Muir Island." Ooooo….his pride was going to be _hurting_.

"Deal," Storm Shadow smirked.

They decided to have the contest in the Avengers' aircraft hangar. Hawkeye set up one of his training exercises, which consisted of shooting through two different rotating force fields. A quick examination showed that there was only a brief window of about one second when the force fields, which were on different timers, lined up enough to allow an arrow to pass through. Thor volunteered to stand on the other side with an apple on his head.

Hawkeye of course went first. Since he was used to this particular exercise, his arrow easily went through the tiny window and knocked the apple off of Thor's head. Shrugging his shoulders, Tommy took his place with his own bow and waited for the Asgardian to place a new apple on his head. He popped off two arrows in quick succession and lazily watched as both arrows made it through the tiny window. Both arrows struck the apple side by side, mere milliseconds apart.

"How was that?" Tommy asked mildly. Hawkeye stared at him for a moment before shrugging.

"I can do that," the Avenger replied. He had only gotten one arrow through the tiny hole before.

"Okay," the ninja replied.

Hawkeye cocked another arrow and studied the rotating force fields. Several seconds passed while the purple garbed archer waited for an opportunity. Tommy was starting to wonder if he would take the shot, but the man finally popped off two arrows. The second arrow barely made it through. Just as it passed through the window, the second shield moved and disintegrated the tip of the fletching. Even so, both arrows managed to hit the apple, even if the second was slightly off target.

_Not bad, Sparrow Head_, Tommy thought. However, the Avenger was still wasn't close to his level. Or Zartan's for that matter.

"Can you change the frequency or the speed?" Storm Shadow asked. The other man nodded. Hawkeye adjusted the timing. Tommy went first this time. He eyed the rotating shields for a moment before popping off two arrows again. Both hit the apple in perfect succession. The ninja stepped aside and let Hawkeye take his turn. While the Avenger took aim, Tommy closed his eyes and listened. There was a tiny shift in sound when the force fields were matched up.

He opened his eyes when Hawkeye was finished. The second arrow had again barely made it through, but it only nicked the target this time.

"This time I'm doing it blindfolded," Tommy announced. Hawkeye froze slightly before raising a disbelieving eyebrow.

"That's impossible," the Avenger told him.

"Ninja," Storm Shadow smirked. Hawkeye shook his head, but waited with impatient curiosity while Ant Man fetched something for Tommy to use as a blindfold. The ninja let Hawkeye put it on first, so that the man could determine for himself that it really blocked all vision.

Blindfold now securely in place, Storm Shadow waited while the other archer readjusted the frequency one more time. Once Hawkeye gave him the go ahead, Tommy again popped off two more arrows. This time, the second arrow not only hit the apple as well, but it split it in half.

There was a long moment of silence. Tommy kept the blindfold on, as he was sure Hawkeye's pride would force him to not give up. He was partially right. The Avenger took his place again, but donned no blindfold. Storm Shadow heard the man's heart rate speed up. Hawkeye knew he had lost, but wasn't quite able to admit it yet.

Hawkeye let three arrows loose, apparently trying to get an extra arrow through the hole in lieu of not being blindfolded. With a blur, Storm Shadow fired three arrows from his own bow. Each of his arrows knocked Hawkeye's shots out of the air.

Tommy grinned when he finally pulled the blindfold off. There was another moment of silence as Hawkeye and the others gawked at him. Thor broke the silence with a thunderous laugh, followed by the Asgardian applauding the show. Ant Man and the two watching Joes began to chuckle. Hawkeye, however, was still too stunned to react to any of it.

"Wha….what?" Hawkeye stammered. "How the hell did you…"

"Hurry it up, Sparrow," Tommy smirked. "I can't leave without my personal chauffeur."

Ant Man chuckled and patted the still shocked Hawkeye on the shoulder.

"I'll prep the plane," Dr. Henry Pym chuckled. The scientist left them, though not before pausing briefly to add "Avengers, Assemble!"

Tommy gave a sigh of relief as he followed after Ant Man. Lady Jaye briefly walked next to him and offered to come along. The ninja nodded his head at her, pleased to have the extra aid. The female Joe left him to go find a few other volunteers. While Storm Shadow followed after Pym, he overheard Thor consoling a now embarrassed Hawkeye.

"Do not let it grieve you," the Asgardian told the smaller man. "Thou fought well against a superior foe. It was an honorable battle. If thou believe that thou fall short, then take this as an opportunity to advance thy skills."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Hawkeye sighed. "Still, I can't believe it. He was barely standing a few hours ago and he just outshot me! _Blindfolded! Me!_"

"Aye, verily," Thor said quietly. "I look forward to doing battle with him."

Storm Shadow gave no indication that he overheard the exchange. However, he couldn't help but feel pleased with himself. For too long he'd just been trying to keep up with the mutants around him. Now he'd not only shown up a smug Avenger, Storm Shadow now had a god singing his praises. If that wasn't a self-esteem booster, he didn't know what was.

* * *

_Muir Island_

Things had taken a turn for the worst.

Billy dove behind the shelter of a tree as machine gun fire sprayed in his direction. The mutant put his hands on the tree trunk and willed it to grow larger. The bark exploded outward as the plant expanded to form a tough wall of wood and bark. Billy plucked some grass and rolled away from the living barrier. Machine gun fire and the pounding of a single howitzer easily broke through the newest defense.

That was fine. William hadn't expected it to last longer than a minute. He'd just needed to buy himself a few seconds.

The ninja protégé darted out of cover and threw the blades of grass at a couple of Crimson Guardsmen. The grass blades sharpened into stiff knife-like weapons. There was a satisfying cry of pain as the two men went down.

Not having stopped, Billy continued running. To his right, the Muir Island mutants were battling some of Cobra's invasion force. Cobra had attempted to take the research island quietly. They'd ended up with a fight. Billy had helped the others all that he could, but they had been quickly outnumbered. Still, Multiple Man's ability to create duplicates of himself had helped to slow down the invasion so far. William didn't expect that it would last much longer.

He leapt over a beached Cobra Moray and booted a Cobra agent in the head. The man's head hit the side of the marine craft with a crack. William wasn't quite quick enough to avoid a concussion blast shot by another mutant. The force of the blast threw him off the island and slammed him into the ocean water. Billy struggled through the pain, but a second blast hit him just as he surfaced.

Dazed and disoriented now, William fought his way blindly through the water. Air, he needed air. He struggled up through the churning waves. Something that felt very much like a hand wrapped itself around one of his ankles and yanked down hard. Through his oxygen starved brain, Billy remembered that one of the "cousins" he'd met earlier had claimed to be able to breathe underwater.

The young mutant kicked vainly at the other man, but the water impeded his movements. His attacker wrapped his ankles around Billy's legs and held his arms down. Great, the man didn't want to kill him instantly. He wanted William to drown. That gave the ninja apprentice an opening.

William smirked as he felt the swirl of plant life around him. He was in an ocean and he was also in ocean water close to land. There was plenty of plant life for him to play with. With a simple thought, the young mutant willed the mass of floating seaweed to spread like a cancer and wrap itself around his attacker. The pair of arms holding him down released suddenly as its owner turned his attention to the plants attacking him.

Ignoring his burning lungs, Billy pulled out his last remaining knife. With a quick motion, he stabbed it through the man's heart. Kicking his legs away from the dying man, Billy swam frantically until his head finally popped above the water. He breathed in deeply for several long moments before he suddenly noticed that the battle had changed shape.

A black jet swooped low over the island and strafed the small Cobra navy laying siege. Three mutants with flight capability broke off from the assault of Muir Island and chased after the jet. As Billy watched, the doors of the jet opened to reveal a brunette woman in a leather jacket and green spandex. She jumped out of the plane and tackled one of the flying Cobra mutants in midair. The two of them hit the water with a giant splash.

Other figures jumped out of the black jet as well, but Billy ignored them for the moment while he made his way back to the island's shore. He waited for the back and forth volley of artillery and mutant abilities to cease long enough for him to crawl safely out of the water. While he waited, a blast of pure red energy burned through a line of Cobra Morays to his left. William took the opportunity to scramble out of the water and back onto dry land.

A tall man with a visor over his face stood just ahead of him. They looked at each other for a moment before both men threw themselves to the ground to avoid a barrage of gunfire. The other man lifted his face and fired off another shot of red energy from his visor. William couldn't help but notice that there was an 'X' insignia on the mutant's uniform.

"I'm Cyclops," the man told him, getting to his knees. "I'm with the X-Men. Are you Billy?"

William nodded. His attention was momentarily diverted when he heard the _thump thump_ of helicopters approaching. He recognized the approaching aircraft as Cobra Dragonflies. Cyclops sent an optic blast at one of the helicopters, but an invisible shield deflected it.

That was new. The previous Dragonfly class hadn't had shields.

"Great," Cyclops swore suddenly, turning his head slightly. "Is that Deadpool?"

William followed the man's gaze and saw a red and black garbed figure leaping from a helicopter. He had no idea if this was the "Deadpool" that the X-Man meant, so he just shrugged. Cyclops groaned under his breath, which Billy took to mean that Deadpool wasn't exactly good news.

"Don't know anything about this Deadpool guy, but he brought some friends," Billy shrugged, pointing to the two identical twins that had also vacated one of the Cobra Dragonflies. "He brought the Crimson twins along." Great. He had no desire to fight Tomax and Xamot. He heard himself groan slightly as well. Cyclops gave him a sympathetic look.

"Looks like we've got a fight on our hands," the X-Man told him. "Do you have any weapons?"

"Don't need any," Billy replied. He suddenly realized that he hadn't told Charles Xavier about his powers. "I'm a mutant too."

Cyclops's right eyebrow raised a fraction. He grinned slightly before refocusing his attention back to the battle. The older man nodded his head and told Billy to follow him. At the X-Man's request, William gave him a quick rundown of his abilities. Once Cyclops was familiar with them, he began snapping out orders and directing the X-Men. He automatically incorporated Billy and the Muir Island mutants into his plans.

Somewhere along the way, right after dodging a bomb and right before running into the mysterious Deadpool, Billy came face to face with the infamous Wolverine. The feral Canadian stopped carving holes in Crimson Guardsmen long enough to give William a quick once over. The man gave him a nod and returned to fighting.

"Welcome to the X-Men, kid," Logan told him. "I'm Wolverine…and I have a friend who's really looking forward to seeing you." Billy's heart skipped a beat and he could barely contain his excitement.

"Storm Shadow? Is he here?" he asked. Wolverine grunted a no and Billy felt his face fall. Well, at least he'd reunite with Tommy soon. The young man had no way of knowing that his mentor was currently taking a quick nap over the Atlantic Ocean. And, as it turned out, William was about to have more trouble on his hands…trouble that soon distracted him from all thoughts of his teacher.

"Loooogan, how's it going?" Someone shouted. The red and black spandex figure that Cyclops had pointed out before had somehow made his way over to Billy and Wolverine. A deep growl reverberated from Logan's chest and made the hair on William's head stand up.

"Beat it Wilson," Wolverine snarled. "Before I rip your head off. How much is Cobra paying you to work for them?"

"Well technically…." Deadpool started, but trailed off when the Canadian mutant turned his attention to fighting him. The strange figure gleefully accepted the challenge. William was then treated to one of the strangest fights he had ever seen, which included ripped off appendages and quickly healing wounds. Through it all, Deadpool would simply not shut up.

Even though he had mutant powers, Billy rather wished that he had a sword on him. He longingly eyed one of Wade Wilson's katana, but knew that there was no way he could hope to steal one or compete with the maniac's superior swordsmanship. Wolverine, however, ended up obliging the young mutant by slicing off one of Deadpool's arms. The arm fell to the ground with one of the swords still grasped in the severed hand.

The young mutant protégé had thought it would be quite reasonable to borrow the sword. Deadpool had other plans. After the mercenary ripped out some of Logan's muscle tendons, he reached down and grabbed the arm. Wade Wilson whistled cheerfully and proceeded to whack Billy upside the head with his unattached limb.

Billy swore violently, but managed to at least not get hit by the katana still firmly held by the severed hand. Deadpool smacked him again with the arm. The mercenary was forced to drop his newest "weapon" a moment later when Wolverine stuck a few claws through his chest. William took the opportunity to free the katana from the stiff fingers of the hand. Now armed with a very nice looking katana, Billy rejoined the fight

When Deadpool later managed to reattach his arm (while singing "Home on the Range"), Billy couldn't help but think that this was the weirdest fight he'd ever been in.

* * *

Tommy opened his eyes when Hawkeye announced that they were twenty minutes from Muir Island. He stretched his muscles and rechecked his weaponry. The ninja had taken the opportunity to nap lightly while he could. Even though Storm Shadow didn't want to admit it, his injuries were taking a toll on his body.

"Any more news from the X-Men?" Lady Jaye asked. Sitting on the other side of the Avengers' Quinjet, she was flanked by Torpedo, Rock N Roll, Sci Fi, and Budo. The five Joes had apparently gotten permission from Duke, who was now in charge of GI Joe under Nick Fury's command, at least until General Hawk recovered.

Hawk. That was another matter entirely. Storm Shadow would like nothing more than to gut Zartan at the moment. However, he had priorities. Billy came first.

"Yeah," Ant Man answered. The scientist was sitting next to Hawkeye as the archer's copilot. "Cobra's increased their forces. I understand that the British Royal Navy has been deployed to deal with Cobra's ships, but they're not having an easy time of it. Cyclops believes that this was originally a Crimson Guard operation, but Cobra's sent in other troops as back up."

That was something at least. Even if Zartan wasn't here, Storm Shadow could satisfy himself by slicing up the Crimson twins. The ninja had a very nice mental image of impaling Tomax and Xamot with his new, adamantium tipped sword. He owed the bastards.

"How are thee?" a voice asked him quietly. Tommy turned his head to peer at the Asgardian to his left. The tall god, if he really was a "god", dwarfed the Japanese-American man sitting next to him. Storm Shadow had talked briefly with the Asgardian before having drifted off into a nap.

"It doesn't matter how I am now," the ninja admitted. "But I'll feel better once we stop Cobra and get Billy to safety."

"I know the feeling," Thor told him. "Perhaps when the battle is finished, we can celebrate our victory. Vanquishing a foe and the reunion of a father and son is well worth a tankard of ale."

"Thanks," Storm Shadow told him, "But I don't really drink." He decided not to say that he had little tolerance for alcohol. Thor's face fell slightly and the man looked a bit crestfallen. Feeling guilty, Tommy immediately amended his sentence.

"However, I can have one drink," Storm Shadow told him, feeling reasonably sure that whatever Thor wanted to drink would put him under the table. "Maybe after that we can switch to tea?" Thor's face immediately brightened. Tommy felt much better about himself, but also secretly dreaded touching alcohol.

"Ten minutes to Muir Island," Hawkeye announced. "And I've got casualty reports coming in. Beast and Multiple Man are down." Storm Shadow felt himself stiffen, as did the others in the Quinjet. He didn't know who Multiple Man was, but as far as he was concerned, no one touched Hank McCoy.

"Everyone ready?" Ant Man asked. Lady Jaye responded by stroking her brand new javelin, one of a set of special javelins designed for her by Tony Stark. There was a small smile on her face when she answered 'yes' for all the Joes. Even though Storm Shadow wasn't technically a Joe yet, he still counted himself as one.

"Yo Joe," Thomas Arashikage smirked, making it quite clear what he considered himself. "Let's go kick some Cobra ass."

* * *

The crews of the gathered Cobra navy didn't know what hit them. They were, after all, armed with state of the art technology and had superhuman support in the form of two of Cobra's Mutant Divisions. Their only clue that something was amiss was when a second jet swooped out the sky to join the X-Men's Blackbird and several British jets. For those who had been watching at the time, several figures jumped from the new aircraft after it swept low over the island. One of those figures had taken one look at the navy before attacking it.

Lightning flashed across the sky as a mighty hammer was whirled around in a circle. A blast of pure electricity was shot at the fleet, followed immediately after by the weapon that had summoned the element of nature. The hammer of the Mighty Thor smashed through two Cobra ships and a small submarine. With a flick of the owner's hand, the weapon was returned to him.

Two mutants and a trio of attack helicopters closed in on the Norse god. While Thor resumed his battle, the other Avengers joined in the attack. Ant Man grew to the size of a tall building and proceeded to smash Cobra and Hydra vehicles. Hawkeye, who was still piloting the Quinjet, engaged in a mini aerial battle with a Cobra Rattler. Those Joes who had joined the fight linked up with the X-Men and began making their own presence felt on the island.

Storm Shadow ignored it all for the moment, as he had his own problems to deal with. He'd managed to land on a Cobra Moray, which was firing on a British ship. The Cobra crew fired at the ninja, who nimbly avoided the bullets and incapacitated every person on the vessel. Tommy thrust his sword down through the engine. The adamantium easily sliced through the metal. The engine died with a fizzle and the naval craft began to drift. Tommy's second sword thrust tore a hole in the side of the craft. He leapt off of the Moray and onto a second one as the first began to slowly sink beneath the water.

He loved his new sword. From now on, every weapon of his was going to have adamantium in it.

Disabling the second Moray, Storm Shadow heard a screeching sound as the Avengers' Quinjet slammed into a Cobra ship. The ninja felt apprehensive for a moment as he wondered if Sparrow Head had bought it. He felt a flash of relief when he spotted a grumpy Hawkeye swimming through the water.

About 200 yards from the ninja, a green skinned mutant in a Crimson Guard uniform raised her hand and aimed it at the Avenger. She slumped sideways off of a Cobra transport and into the water after one of Storm Shadow's arrows impaled her through the heart. Hawkeye changed directions when he spotted the ninja with the bow. While Storm Shadow provided cover fire, the Avenger climbed up onto the disabled Moray.

"Thanks," Hawkeye told him, pulling an arrow from his quiver. The Avenger took aim and fired one of his trick arrows at another Cobra Moray. It exploded upon impact and the small ship went down. Storm Shadow wouldn't admit it out of pride, but putting an explosive tip on the arrowhead was a useful idea. If anything, he was at least determined to get his arrowheads tipped in adamantium.

Storm Shadow sent another arrow flying. Another target went down.

"I think we got off to a bad start," the Avenger admitted. The two archers were now back to back, picking off Cobra targets. "The name's Clint Barton, codename 'Hawkeye.'"

"Thomas Arashikage," the ninja replied, figuring that he should be polite. Hawkeye didn't seem like a bad guy, even if he was on the arrogant and annoying side. "Storm Shadow." The ninja tried to maintain his politeness, but he finally couldn't resist mocking the other man about the jet.

"A kamikaze attack? Really?" Storm Shadow teased.

"I didn't have a choice," Hawkeye insisted. "Besides, it made a nice, big arrow. And it's not like Stark can't afford it."

"Tony Stark must have a giant tab," Storm Shadow observed. "With all the damages you guys probably charge to him." Out of concern for using up his arrows, Tommy switched temporarily to throwing shuriken. The ninja was mildly surprised when Hawkeye slipped a throwing star out of his costume and threw one as well. There was a touch of a smirk on the other man's face.

"I may not be as good as you," Hawkeye admitted. "But I've got the same toys at least."

"Mine don't explode," Tommy replied, switching back to his bow. "All of my arrows have good old fashioned pointy ends." Hawkeye snorted slightly and replied with 'pointy doesn't always work against superpowers.'

A giant shadow fell over the two archers. They both looked up to see a giant sized Ant Man looked down at them. Hank Pym knelt down and held out a hand.

"You gentlemen need a ride?" he asked. Hawkeye and Storm Shadow jumped onto the hand. The scientist deposited the two men onto his left shoulder. The archers resumed their former duty of killing terrorists. At Tommy's suggestion, they began targeting the Crimson Guardsmen, who seemed to be the ones in the command position.

"You can't miss them, they're red," Storm Shadow added.

"I noticed," Hawkeye replied.

A Cobra mutant blasted Ant Man with some kind of energy and Hank Pym stumbled slightly. The downside to his large form was that he had made himself an easier target. Both Hawkeye and Storm Shadow fired at the mutant. Hawkeye's arrows were disintegrated by another blast of energy, but one of Tommy's slipped through and struck the mutant in the left eye.

"Come on Barton, they're big targets," Storm Shadow smirked. "Can't you at least hit one?" He was goading the other man, of course. Even though Hawkeye wasn't as skilled as him, the man was still good with a bow. Clint Barton swore colorfully and let loose another arrow. This one struck a Crimson Guardsman through the back of the neck.

"You know, purple is a big target too," Tommy added. The more annoyed Hawkeye got, the better his shots seemed to get.

"What, and white isn't?" Hawkeye snarked back. "You're one to talk, Snow White."

"Oooo….creative…" Tommy replied. He honestly wasn't trying to be a jerk, but Sparrow Head made himself a target. Besides, Storm Shadow conceded the point. If he could come up with a creative nickname for the other man, there was no reason that Hawkeye couldn't come up with one for him.

"Too bad my seven dwarves aren't around to serve as bait," Tommy sighed dramatically. "Do you know what it costs to feed and house them?" Hawkeye snickered and suggested that the ninja dump his dwarves off at Tony Stark's doorstep.

Tommy was nearly out of arrows when he heard a high pitched shriek. He turned his head slightly and found that one of Lady Jaye's javelins had pierced through the thick, metallic skin of a mutant. There was another boom as Sci Fi damaged one of the helicopters. The Cobra Dragonfly's shield flickered slightly before going out. Sci Fi sent another blast at the helicopter. The aircraft exploded a moment later. Like Lady Jaye, he was also armed with new Stark technology.

A flicker of yellow and blue caught the ninja's attention. Storm Shadow jumped to Ant Man's other shoulder to get a better look. On the other side of the island, he spotted Wolverine battling someone in red and black spandex. Storm Shadow recognized the stranger as Deadpool, as he'd seen pictures of the man from Cobra intelligence. Next to Wolverine was a young man wielding a katana. He could make out an eyepatch covered one of the young man's eyes. Storm Shadow felt his breath catch when he recognized the now adult Billy.

Finally, after all this time…

"I've got to go," Tommy told Ant Man and Hawkeye. "I found Billy. He's with Wolverine." Both men wished him luck. The ninja began to quickly make his way across the island. He had to pause several times to battle the occasional Cobra that was dumb enough to get in his way. Tommy was carving his way through several Vipers when his finally obstacle appeared.

The ninja felt, rather than saw, the shadow move behind him. He danced away from the living shadow that was inching up to his ankles. Tommy slipped a shuriken into his hand and threw it at the dark, smoky figure creeping along the ground. The body contorted and moved around the small weapon. It launched itself at the ninja and wrapped itself around his body like a python. Tommy struggled against the unknown mutant.

"So pleasant to see you again," a voice laughed in his ear. Storm Shadow recognized the voice as belonging to one of the twins. He never could tell their voices apart. Still, Wolverine had mentioned a while back that Tomax had shown evidence of the mutant ability to control shadows. It didn't take rocket science to guess who his assailant was.

"Tomax…" Storm Shadow grunted through his teeth. He kept his mouth closed. The ninja had no idea what the extent of Tomax's abilities was, but he wasn't taking a chance that the man could shove his currently formless hand into his mouth.

"Cobra Commander has rather missed you," Tomax taunted, squeezing the shadow ropes that he'd wrapped around the ninja even tighter. Storm Shadow grunted a curse at him. When the fight was over, Tommy vowed to find a way to combat the man's abilities.

Tomax didn't notice the woman who landed behind him. The ninja, on the other hand, did and of course said nothing. She removed a glove from one hand and placed it on the partially solid body of Tomax. The Crimson Guardsman gave a scream and arched his back when Rogue began to absorb his abilities. Tomax instantly released the ninja and struggled against the X-Man still stealing his powers. His body reverted to normal and became limp. As soon as the man lost consciousness, Rogue put her glove back on. She looked slightly dazed.

"You okay?" Storm Shadow asked her. He'd heard about her abilities, but had never actually seen her use them.

"Ah'll be fine," the woman replied. "Ah've got Tomax's personality in my brain at the moment though and it's danged annoying."

"Uh…will that wear off?" Tommy asked wearily.

"It had damned well better!" she responded. Her body briefly turned into a shadow before reforming back into her original body. Rogue seemed even more irked as she struggled with her temporarily new powers and personality quirks.

"Thank you," Storm Shadow told her. He hoped that she'd be fine. The ninja took one look down at the unconscious Tomax. Well, that at least should take care of both twins. An injury to one often took out the other.

"No problem, sugah," Rogue reassured him. "Ah kin handle things."

Storm Shadow nodded at her and continued on his way. The only thing that mattered now was getting Billy to safety. Stopping Cobra of course was another, but considering that Muir Island had the X-Men, GI Joes, the Avengers, and an Arashikage ninja on its side, the outcome seemed inevitable. The bigger question was how to prevent the island from getting blown up in the process.

The ninja picked his way across the battlefield, ignoring the sharp pain in his arm and side. His injuries were nothing. Storm Shadow forced the pain from his mind. He was a ninja. His body was just going to have to wait to rest.

Tommy was certain that Wolverine noticed him first, but the older man was too busy dealing with a certain loud mouthed swordsman to give him any attention. Billy was struggling to keep up with the two men. The young man was smart enough to realize that he was more likely to get in the way, so he was trying to stay out of Wolverine's way as much as possible. Their adversary, on the other hand, was making every effort to involve Billy.

"That is sooo not cool!" Deadpool shouted. "That's my sword, give it back!"

The mercenary planted a foot in Wolverine's face and drove him to the ground. Deadpool used the momentum to launch himself at Billy. William just barely managed to block the sword strike, which, as Tommy noted, was only because Wade Wilson had purposefully slowed down. The ninja didn't have time to wonder why, figuring that Deadpool just enjoyed toying with his enemies.

When Wade Wilson flipped his katana around to stab under Billy's guard, it wasn't Wolverine who blocked the attack. Storm Shadow grunted slightly when the stitches in his side ripped open. However, he ignored it as he glared at the mercenary with the mouth. The adamantium tipped sword in his own hands had blocked the attack from Deadpool.

"T…Tommy?" Billy stuttered. Storm Shadow parried another attack from Wade Wilson. There was a flash of adamantium claws as Wolverine finally decided enough was enough and decapitated the mercenary. Deadpool's head rolled to a stop at Tommy's feet.

Storm Shadow looked down at the head for a moment. That was a bit anticlimactic.

"I was getting tired of his yapping," Wolverine growled, staring down at Deadpool's body a moment before looking up at Storm Shadow. "And what the damn hell are you doing here? I see you somehow managed to drag the Avengers along."

"What do you think I'm doing here?" Tommy replied irately. "You left me behind!"

"Uh…" Billy said, but was ignored. Storm Shadow continued to glare at the X-Man.

"Of course I did," Wolverine snapped back. "You were barely standing!"

"Not anymore," the ninja shot back. "And as for how I got here, I totally didn't humiliate Hawkeye or knock out Thor. They volunteered to come along willingly for a good cause." Logan groaned and rolled his eyes. The mutant muttered something under his breath, something that sounded an awful lot like _'I'm too old for this shit.'_

"You knocked out Thor?" Billy asked. There was a hint of disbelief in his voice. Tommy's smirk slipped slightly.

"Well…he was human at the time," the ninja admitted. "But I still knocked him out."

"Right," Logan replied dryly. "Sneaking up on crippled doctors is such a challenge."

"But he's still Thor!" Tommy protested, not willing to give up his newest claim to fame. "And I'll find a way to do it in his not so human form." He'd gotten the drop on Thor. No one was going to tell him otherwise. Besides, Tommy was determined to try it again. The next time, however, would be against Thor and not Donald Blake.

"Uh…sensei?" Billy asked. "If he was crippled at the time…"

"It doesn't matter!" Tommy denied. Both Billy and Logan broke into laughter, which only served to irk the ninja. Storm Shadow took a moment to look his apprentice up and down. Billy had grown. The young man was now taller than his sensei. A warm smile grew on Tommy's face. They were both finally free of Cobra. Now they could just be themselves and he could train Billy properly. No mind control, no threat of retaliation, and no Cobra Commander looming over their shoulders.

They could be a family.

"It's nice to see you again," Tommy told him. "I'm afraid I wasn't there for you the way I should have been. I'm sorry."

The battle around them was starting to wind down. Sensei and student, however, paid no heed to the events swirling around them. The younger of the two bit his lip and tried to hide the swell of emotion in his chest. The older also fought a similar battle.

Billy finally gave up trying to appear "manly" and wrapped his arms around his sensei in a fierce hug. Storm Shadow didn't hesitate to return it with equal ferocity. His son was safe. That was all that mattered.

"I…I tried to find you…I wanted to find you…to get you out…" Billy stammered, trying with all his might to keep his voice steady. "I'm the one who failed you." Tommy stepped back and forced his student to look him in the eyes.

"You did not fail me," Storm Shadow reprimanded him sharply. "There was nothing you could have done. You were under mind control as well. How did you even escape?"

"Mutant powers," Billy admitted. Storm Shadow gave him a blank look, not understanding. Had a mutant saved him?

"_My_ mutant powers," the young man corrected. "They decided to fully manifest themselves when Mindbender tried to put me back into the brainwave scanner."

"Wha…what?" Tommy asked. He hadn't expected that. Not that it mattered if Billy was a mutant, of course, but it was certainly a shock. William gave him an apprehensive look, as if worried about what his mentor would say. Storm Shadow felt a sudden flash of anger. It was directed not at Billy, but at the reason why the young man would be concerned about his mutation. His student shouldn't have to hide his powers out of fear of persecution.

The plight that mutants faced had already been one that Tommy was aware of and sympathized with. He considered the X-Men to be his friends. Billy being a mutant made that bigotry all the more personal. Storm Shadow felt even worse for not being the teacher or father that he should have been to his student. He resolved to change that.

"Wade!"

A horrified shout drew his attention away from Billy. Storm Shadow turned around to see Xamot staring at the decapitated body of Deadpool. The unconscious Tomax was draped over his shoulders. Xamot continued to gape down at Wade Wilson. The Crimson Guardsman actually seemed upset by Wilson's death. After several seconds passed, a look of rage crossed the man's scarred face.

Xamot pointed his sidearm at Wolverine, Storm Shadow, and Billy. Tommy tried not to scoff at it, as the man had no chance of taking any of them out in his situation.

"You killed him," the man accused. Tommy didn't really see what the problem was. Deadpool had been trying to kill everyone else, so fair was fair. As soon as the ninja had a chance, he planned to kill Xamot and his brother.

"He ain't dead," Wolverine replied calmly. "At least not yet." The other men stared at the X-Man in incomprehension.

"Uh…Logan?" Tommy asked. "You cut his head off. He has no heartbeat." Logan shrugged in response.

"Wouldn't be the first time," the Canadian admitted. "Reattaching his head will revive him. He might have lost a few more brain cells by that point, but I don't know how you would tell anyway. The man's a lunatic."

Xamot seemed stunned by that news. The man actually seemed relieved, which surprised Storm Shadow. He'd never known either of the twins to care about anyone else. Tommy was even more surprised when the Crimson Guardsman put his gun away. Perhaps Xamot had realized that he didn't stand a chance against them, especially with an unconscious Tomax over his shoulder.

Actually, Tommy was surprised that Xamot didn't seem the least bit affected by Rogue's attack on his brother. He had thought that Xamot would have been unconscious as well.

"He'll…live if I reattach his head?" the man asked hesitantly. "You're not just saying that?"

"Why do you care, Xamot?" Storm Shadow asked him coldly. He had absolutely no love for the man. The twins had more crimes on their hands than he could count. Xamot hesitated a moment before replying.

"He's…my friend," Xamot replied. "And I don't exactly have many of them. Deadpool's a lunatic, but I…look, I just don't want him dead."

Tommy stared at him. He couldn't help himself. This seemed so out of character for the Xamot he knew. Tomax and Xamot didn't care about anyone. They certainly didn't get upset if one of their Cobra colleagues was injured or killed.

"Look…I'll leave," Xamot added quickly. "I'll order the retreat. But…please let me help Wade first. We've already lost the battle anyway."

"Fine," Wolverine grunted, turning his back on the Crimson Guardsman. "Put Wilson's head back on and get yer asses off the island."

"But…" Tommy protested. They couldn't just let the twins walk away or let Deadpool live. That was three major threats that could easily be dealt with here and now.

"Let it go," Logan told him. Storm Shadow frowned slightly, but finally gave in with a sigh. He was a ninja, but he wasn't a murderer. He was better than Deadpool and the twins. If Xamot actually felt sorry for Wade Wilson and even considered the man a "friend", as ridiculous as that sounded, then Storm Shadow wasn't going to gut the man when he was vulnerable like that.

"You promise to call off the attack?" Storm Shadow asked, holding his sword threateningly. He didn't trust any "promises" that the man gave them. Xamot eyed the blade a moment before nodding his head. Tommy still didn't trust the man. However, he backed off slightly, but still refused to let him out of his sight.

Xamot gently put his brother on the ground and pulled out his radio. He issued the orders for a full retreat. When he was finished, Xamot picked up Wade Wilson's head and placed it back on the man's body. There was a "squelch" sound as muscle and bone tissue began to mend back together.

It took about two minutes for Deadpool to finish healing. During this time, Cobra ships and aircraft began to pull away from the island. Xamot waited anxiously while he waited for Wilson to mend. He flagged down a Cobra mutant and ordered her to take Tomax up to one of the helicopters. After Tomax was gone, he continued to kneel by Deadpool's side.

Finally…

"Ahhhh!" Deadpool screeched, grabbing his throat with both hands. "How long have I been out? Have I lost any brain cells? Is this heaven? Is Ryan Reynolds playing me yet or is he still pretending to be that jerk, Hal Jordan? Where're my seven virgins? I demand my seven virgins! How did you guys live without me? "

"Believe me, we survived," Xamot told the man dryly. "Now let's go. We're pulling out."

Deadpool blinked up at the scarred Corsican. Tommy saw the man grin suddenly underneath his mask. The mercenary flipped off of his back and landed nimbly on his feet. He stood up and gave Xamot a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"Dude…you came back for me?" Deadpool asked. "Xay…have I told you how much I love you? We are _so_ having a Golden Girls marathon when we get back, my treat!" Xamot rolled his eyes in reply and tugged the mercenary toward the direction of the fleeing Cobra force. The two men soon joined up with a Cobra Moray about to head out. While the tiny craft pulled away from the island, a cheerful Deadpool waved goodbye to the men he had formerly been trying to kill. The mercenary's waving hand suddenly froze.

Tommy's sensitive ears easily picked up Wade Wilson's newest round of shouting

"My sword!" Deadpool screeched in the distance. "The kid still has my sword!" Storm Shadow saw the mercenary prepare to leap off the Moray, but Xamot grabbed the man's belt and pulled him back into the ship. Despite his excellent hearing, the two men were too far away for Storm Shadow to pick up anything else. However, the ninja was reasonably sure that he heard Xamot shout 'Shut up about the sword, I'll buy you a new one!' He could be wrong though.

"That…" Storm Shadow started to say.

"Was weird," Billy finished. The young man clutched his captured sword in his hands.

"That's Wilson for you," Wolverine said, surveying the now partially destroyed island. "The man never makes any sense."

"We weren't talking about Wilson," Tommy replied, reasonably sure that Billy had meant the same thing as him. "Xamot was the one acting strange."

"He was totally acting weird," Billy agreed. "And…" Wolverine made a 'hmph' noise as the young man tried to explain exactly why Xamot's behavior had been stranger than that of Wade Wilson. Logan didn't seem very convinced by the young man's logic. After all, who could possibly be stranger than Deadpool?

They continued to talk quietly for several minutes. It was nice to simply…talk. Storm Shadow watched as the Cobra force faded into the distance. He felt the fatigue and pain he'd been battling starting to crash back into his system. He was going to need a long nap after this.

Cobra was by no means defeated, of course, but they had lost a battle. Even though Storm Shadow had himself only played a small role in this particular battle, he knew that there would be many more to come. He would have many opportunities to redeem himself and help to rid the world of a very real threat. For now, he simply contented himself with knowing that Cobra had been given a kick in the shins and that he'd finally been reunited with Billy.

For the moment, even if only for the moment, all was well in the world.

Tommy gave a grunt when an arm suddenly decided to encircle him in a crushing embrace. The other arm had slung itself around Billy, who was also now struggling against the rib crushing "friendly" hug. Storm Shadow felt one of his ribs crack.

"Friends!" Thor exclaimed, oblivious to the fact that he was crushing the two smaller men. "The battle is won and victory is ours. Come, let us celebrate!"

Storm Shadow was pretty sure that the Asgardian had by now cracked a few of his ribs that had been perfectly fine less than a minute ago. He and Billy struggled to breath with the massive weight crushing in on them. Neither of them was able to slip out from the god's grip, which continued to squeeze in on them.

"Thor!" Wolverine roared. "Stop trying to kill the ninja!"

Thor instantly let them go. The man looked incredibly embarrassed that he'd almost crushed the two mortals with what had been intended as a friendly, if overexcited, gesture. Storm Shadow hid a wince and pretended that he hadn't been the least bit affected by it. Billy, on the other hand, gave a very slight groan.

"Don't worry about it," Storm Shadow told Thor, who was sheepishly watching the still stunned William.

"My apologies," the Asgardian replied. "I did not mean…"

"He said don't worry about it," Wolverine grunted. "Now shut up about it." Thor immediately complied, though he seemed a bit disgruntled about being ordered to 'shut up.' Tommy started to snicker at it, but then he felt some more of his stitches rip open. Pain flooded through him and the world suddenly turned upside down.

The ninja crashed face first into the ground. His body screamed at him for not letting it rest and heal before. Tommy told it to shut up. He groaned slightly, but decided not to get up. The ground made a very comfy bed at the moment. If anyone asked him about it later, Storm Shadow intended to claim that he'd intended to collapse at that moment.

His tired brain barely registered the fact that Thor had transformed back into Donald Blake. While the doctor began to inspect and chastise him, Tommy gave a giant yawn and closed his eyes. Now was a very good time for a nap. Yes, it was a very good time. He yawned again.

"Wake me up when we're back in New York," he mumbled.

"Unbelievable," Donald Blake muttered. The ninja didn't hear him, however.

He was already asleep.

* * *

_The Avengers' Tower_

Billy took a long sip of his ale and relaxed. Two days had passed since the events at Muir Island. He could hardly believe that he was sitting in New York City, let alone with Storm Shadow and three Avengers. It seemed like just yesterday that he had been hiding out in Scotland and studying for university exams.

"…So then Volstagg and Fandral snuck up behind the Frost Giant while Hogun and I…"

The young mutant listened with interest while Thor recounted one of his many adventures. Nearby, a sullen and half-drunk Thomas Arashikage glared into his drink. Apparently the ninja master had promised to have "one" drink with Thor. However, the Asgardian and the ninja had differed in their interpretation of one what drink entailed. Billy suspected that Tommy had been expecting a sake cup sized drink. Thor had given him a giant stein of ale.

"After we had defeated five of the Frost Giants, the Enchantress showed her crafty self and transported us to Niffleheim where…"

Billy so did not smirk when his esteemed sensei wobbled slightly in his seat. Tommy had barely made it through a third of his beer, but he was already intoxicated. The ninja master had never been very good at holding his liquor.

"You okay, sensei?" William asked cheerfully. He earned a glare from his master. Tommy scowled slightly before turning his head to pay attention to Thor again. Billy smirked as he downed the rest of his stein and wiped his chin. Thor paused in his story long enough to refill Billy's giant mug. Wolverine grunted slightly in admiration.

"Kid can hold his liquor," the X-Man grunted. The mutant was also apparently an Avenger, which had surprised Billy a bit. Logan was apparently one of Thor's regular drinking buddies.

"Of course I can," William replied. "I can't say the same for Tommy though." The young man gave his teacher a good natured slap across the back, earning him a rebuke in Japanese. Oh, Tommy would no doubt kill him tomorrow. However, that didn't prevent Billy from lovingly antagonizing his father figure.

"I'm fine," Storm Shadow muttered. His skin had since turned a very pale shade. Sweat glistened at the corners of his face. The ninja peered down into his stein full of beer. A slight groan escaped his lips.

"Well," Hawkeye grinned, looking slightly better than the drunken ninja. "At least I can outdrink him even if I can't outshoot him."

"Shut up Sparrow Toes," Tommy slurred. "Do I need to beat your ass again?"

"He's kind of a cranky drunk," Hawkeye observed. "How good are his reflexes like this?"

"Poke him and find out," Wolverine smirked, draining the rest of the ale from his stein. Hawkeye pondered that for a moment. Billy half hoped that the archer was drunk enough to try it, but apparently just enough soberness remained.

"Nah…I like my body parts intact," Clint Barton replied.

Thor, however, didn't share his fellow Avenger's hesitation to test the reflexes of an intoxicated ninja. The Asgardian reached over and poked Storm Shadow in the side. Tommy responded by twisting his body to avoid it, but his normally agile body lost its balance. The ninja fell off the chair with an ungraceful thud. There was a groan from the floor. William didn't bother to hide his snickering.

"You sure you're okay, sensei?" he asked innocently. "You haven't even finished your drink yet."

"Shut up, just shut up," Storm Shadow groaned. The ninja managed to climb back up into his chair. Tommy wobbled slightly, but managed to keep from falling over again. The other occupants at the table pretended to not notice it. However, every single one of them, including Thor, had identical smirks.

Two minutes later, Thomas Arashikage was passed out on the table. Drool dripped out of his mouth while he snored blissfully away. Billy shook his head and pulled Tommy's ale over to him. It would be a shame to waste such good beer.

"Will he be okay?" Hawkeye asked. "Not that I'm worried or anything. The guy's still recovering from his wounds."

"He'll be fine," Logan replied. "Tommy's like a damned phoenix. He can't stay down."

"I guess that makes him the Phoenix Master," Billy replied. "We can't really call him the Young Master of the Arashikage Clan anymore."

"Aye, that does sound like an appropriate name," Thor mused. The Asgardian stroked his chin a moment before raising his stein.

"To the Phoenix Master," the god of thunder said. Everyone clinked mugs and drank to the unconscious ninja at the table. Very soon, Hawkeye was passed out as well. Wolverine shook his head when he looked at the two archers.

"They can fight, but they can't drink," Logan sighed. "The Hard Master couldn't hold his liquor either."

"You met the Hard Master?" Billy asked. Wolverine nodded and promised to tell him the story later. For now, the three still sober men continued to drink quietly and try not to laugh too much at their passed out compatriots. William was starting to feel a buzz in his head, but he didn't quite feel drunk yet.

"What will yee do now?" Thor asked, looking at Billy. William caught Logan's eye a moment before replying. His future had been a topic of much discussion the last two days between himself, Tommy, Logan, and Charles Xavier.

"I'll stay with the X-Men for now," William answered. He'd wanted to join up with GI Joe, but he'd been talked into holding off on that. "I'm going to stay at the mansion and train my powers. Wolverine has also promised to train me when Storm Shadow isn't around."

Charles Xavier had also convinced him to finish his university studies. Billy hadn't wanted to, since his goal of finding his mentor had been accomplished. However, as the X-Men's leader had explained, the mutant community needed more individuals with a higher education. Since Billy was close to finishing his degree, he should stick it out and complete it. William had worked it out with his professors in Scotland to finish his current term long distance. Most of his credits should transfer to New York, where he could finish out his college education.

"A wise plan," Thor replied. "More training would not harm thee. If thou wish to join Storm Shadow in GI Joe, it should be later."

"Kid's not happy about it though," Logan remarked. Billy shrugged. He'd made peace with it. Xavier, Logan, and Tommy were correct. He needed more training and he might as well finish his degree. The only thing he didn't like was not being with Tommy.

"If it's what I've got to do for now," William said, "It's what I got to do. However, I'm joining Tommy in a year." That was his goal. Train with the X-Men for a year while he finished out his studies. After that, he was joining the GI Joe team.

"Until then, perhaps you can join the Avengers on occasion," Thor said. "I know that Storm Shadow already turned down an invitation to join and I suspect that thou would as well. Still…I would rather enjoy if thou accepted the occasional mission with us. If anything, it would be good training."

"Perhaps," Billy answered. He suspected that between Tommy and Wolverine's training, as well as the X-Men's, he was going to be very busy. "If I'm able to, I'd like that."

The Asgardian seemed very pleased by that response. William cracked his neck and leaned back in his chair. He couldn't remember the last time that he had felt so relaxed. The ninja apprentice looked over at his master, who was still snoring lightly with his head on the table. Smiling to himself, Billy leaned his chair back and put one leg on the table. He took a long sip of ale.

"So Thor…." Billy smirked. "What happened after this Enchantress lady teleported you to…where was it?"

"Niffleheim," Thor replied. "It is the lowest of the Nine Realms. Hel occupies a corner of this cold and dark wasteland…"

The biological son of Cobra Commander…the spiritual son of Thomas Arashikage…listened with great interest as Thor Odinson spun a tale of monsters and gods. The horrors of his own past were behind him and the present held interesting possibilities. Cobra and his "father" were still out there and Billy was still struggling emotionally with what he'd experienced as a slave of Cobra. However…

The future had never looked brighter.

"Aye, if only thou could see the Shore of Corpses, where the serpent Nidhogg devours the flesh of the dead and…"

Billy took a long drink from his beer and closed his eyes. He listened to Thor and Wolverine recount stories of past battles long into the night. Storm Shadow eventually awoke and sobered up enough to contribute his own stories. However, the ninja remained in a cranky mood, especially when he had a horrible hangover the next morning.

William didn't mind. He poked fun at his sensei all day. If he was punished with hours of kata training in the X-Men's Danger Room, it was well worth it. His and Storm Shadow's winding journeys had brought them back together and to a new home.

The long walkabout was complete and William felt like a new man.

* * *

_**El Fine**_

_*Thanks for sticking around and reading "Ninja Walkabout." Tommy (and Billy's) adventures will resume in "Silence." Also special thanks to CrystalofEllinon for being my beta this chapter. She also suggested the nickname of "Sparrow" for Hawkeye._


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